The Destiny of the Digidestined
by Lady Ava
Summary: UPDATED!!! The Crest of Courage and the Crest of Life must become more powerful, but how? And, one of the Digidestined is hiding a secret power. But who? Please Read and Review.
1. Tai's Dream

Hey Guys and Girls! Okay, here is the scoop with this story. This takes place five years after the Digidestined first traveled to the Digital World. Tai, Sora, Matt, Izzy, and Mimi are all sophomores and are all sixteen. Joe is a senior and he is eighteen. And finally, T.K and Kari are freshmen and are fifteen. I know this really doesn't go with the original timeline in the Digimon series, but I wanted all the digidestined to be in the same school. One last thing, I did not write myself into the story. I just really like the name 'Ava'. Although the girl in the story and I have some things in common, that is not really ME! I thought I should make this point very clear before you started reading this. (Just in case of future questions.) Thank you for your time and enjoy my new Fanfiction. ;-)  
  
Disclaimer: I am not the creator nor do I own Digimon. BUT, I do own the rights to my character Ava, her Digimon, and all of Ava's family and friends. (Examples: Monoko, Cassia. ect.) If you wish to use my character in any of your writings or post this Fanfiction on your website, please ASK FOR MY PREMISSION FIRST!!!!   
Thank you  
  
  
The Destiny of the Digidestined  
By: Lady Ava  
  
~ Chapter One ~  
Tai's Dream  
  
"Come on, Ava! We're going to be late for computer class!" A girl with bright red hair shouted as she ran down a hallway in an American high school.   
  
As she ducked inside a classroom, her friend walked faster than before. "Hey Monoko! Wait for me!" She called as, she too, ducked into the classroom just as the bell rang.   
  
Panting, Ava made her way over to her assigned computer. "That was close." She whispered under breath. "I almost didn't make it."   
  
"Good morning, class!" The teacher announced to the teenagers in the room. "Today we will be starting our class on the Internet. So please sign on to the Netscape Navigator version 6.0. Don't use the lower versions or else you will mess up your system. As soon as you sign on, please go to PostMaster.com and we will begin to look up exciting information on the new set of stamps for the upcoming New Year."   
  
Ava rolled her eyes. "Yea right. Real exciting..." she thought. "Let's see if I have mail, instead." Looking over her shoulder, Ava checked to make sure her teacher wasn't watching. But she couldn't help but giggle, for her teacher was trying to get his tie unstuck from the printer. "Well...at least I know that I won't get in trouble for looking up my mail. I think my teacher is a bit tied up at the moment." She laughed to herself.   
  
Turning back to the screen, Ava clicked onto her mail symbol on the top of her screen. "You have three new E-mails." The computer stated.   
  
"Dude, you know you shouldn't be doing that." Monoko said, leaning over looking at her friend's screen. "I mean, don't you know that they monitor who's checking their mail."  
  
Ava looked over at her best friend and smiled, "Please. Like I care? What are they going to do to me?" The girl looked back over to the screen and watched as her account came up. "Now let's see...There's mail here from Lawrence and Cassia. Nothing major, just them talking about their relationship with each other. Yea, my dance teacher wrote me."   
  
"What does she say?" Monoko asked.  
  
Ava scanned the mail and began to smile and laugh happily. "She says that I got the lead in our next production. The interpretive dance segment is going to be my segment!" She said beaming.   
  
"Congrats, girl! You so earned it." Monoko stated.   
  
Ava blushed. "Thanks." Looking back at the screen, Ava looked at the address and subject of the last piece of E-mail. It read, "Subject: Your destiny. From: DigiGenni" "Who's DigiGenni?" She asked.   
  
Monoko looked back over at the screen. " Open it and find out." She said.  
  
Moving the mouse over the link, Ava double-clicked on the subject. As she scanned the E-mail, all it said was, 'Your destiny awaits you in the Digital World' and it had a link under it that said 'Click me for your gear.' Ava looked at the mail and raised an eyebrow. "What's the Digital World?" She asked to her friend.  
  
"Maybe it's a new amusement park and you won passes to it." The red haired teen said excitedly.  
  
Ava shrugged and moved the cursor onto the link, "Well, there is only one way to find out..." And with that she clicked the button on the mouse.   
  
********  
  
Tai sat up in his bed with a start. His hands and bare chest were sweaty and clammy and his hair was messed. Tai's room was flooded with warm sunlight from the morning sun. Placing his hand onto his brow, he closed his eyes. "What a weird dream." Tai said allowed.   
  
Swinging his flannel-panted legs around to the floor, Tai stood. Stretching his arms above his head, he moved towards his balcony. Opening the doors, Tai stepped outside into the warm spring air. There was a light breeze surrounding him and pushing his hair into different directions. The sounds of Tokyo hit his ears lightly in the back of his mind. Tai looked up into the clear blue sky above him. "That dream...That girl..." He said, "Who is she and why is she being told about the Digital World?"   
  
"What girl, Tai?" A voice said from behide.   
  
Turning, Tai met his sister's eyes. "Kari! What are you doing in here?" Tai demanded.   
  
Kari placed her one hand on her hip and another one on her camera. "Mom said for me to come and get you up. The others are going to be here soon, ya know. And I don't think you want them to see ya in just your flannels and your hair all messed up like that." She stated, acting her teenage self.   
  
"They're coming over. For what?" Tai asked, leaning against the railing of the balcony.   
  
"You have to be kidding me! You're game today? The biggest game of the season for you. The state championship finals?" Kari said, pocking her brother's chest with her finger.   
  
Tai shot up straight and stared at his sister. "The game! I completely forgot about the game! God, what time is it?" He demanded.  
  
Kari looked down at her watch. "Um, it's almost 11:00." She said innocently.   
  
Tai rushed past his little sister and ran for his closet. "God! Who let me sleep so late? I need to be at the field in less than an hour! Where's my uniform? Where are my goggles and my cleats?" Tai shouted, throwing the contents of his closet onto the floor.   
  
"Tai, mom has your uniform in the laundry room. You're cleats are by the door and your goggles are next to your bed." Kari said coolly.   
  
Suddenly, the doorbell to their apartment rang. "Oh No! Their here already!" Tai shouted as he stood from the floor.   
  
"I'll get it!" Shouted Kari as she walked past her spazing brother. Kari rushed to the door of her family's apartment. Opening it, she was greeted by the smiles of the other Digidestined. "Hey guys. Come in." Kari smiled, stepping to the side.   
  
"Morning Kari. Where's your brother?" Matt asked, stepping inside. Matt wore a pair of loose jeans and a dark blue dragon shirt. His hair was gelled into his usual spiky form.  
  
Kari looked over towards her brother's bedroom. "He's in his room spazing about the game today."   
  
The others laughed as they walked into the fouire. "I don't see why. Tai's the best player on his team. I can't image him getting worried over a soccer game." Joe stated, leaning against the wall in his loose jeans and green t-shirt with darker green flames on the sleeves.   
  
Suddenly, Tai's door flew opened and he rushed out into the hallway. "Mom! Where is my uniform?" Tai called towards the kitchen.   
  
"In the laundry room, honey." A faint voice said from the kitchen.   
  
In one swift movement, Tai rushed down the opposite direction of the hallway and around the corner. Then in a shower of laundry, the others heard Tai's triumphant shout. Suddenly, the teen sprinted from the room and down the hallway and into his room, slamming the door shut behide him. The others stared in aw. "That was...amazing." Izzy said, his eyes wide. "How did he do that so quickly?"   
  
"That was nothing. You should see him when he's running late for school." Kari said, smiling.   
  
Mimi and Sora looked over at each other. "I hope he realized that was wasn't wearing a shirt." Mimi said blushing. Her sparkled red hair hung down to her shoulders and her pink baby tee that read 'goddess' sparkled as well. Her baby blue jeans sparkled as well, along with her blue sandals.   
  
Kari motioned for the six Digidestined to follow her to the family room. "So Kari, How are you this fine morning?" T.K. asked coming up next to her. He too wore loose jeans with a T-shirt that had a samurai on it.   
  
Kari blushed as she offered the others chairs. "Besides almost being attacked by brother when I asked him about a dream of his, fine."   
  
"What dream?" Sora asked as she sat down. Sora wore a green tanktop, a dark blue jacket pull over with a pair of modern bellbottoms and black boots.   
  
Kari sat down next to T.K., who placed his arm around her shoulders. "When I went into wake him up the second time, he was already up. He was outside on the balcony looking out over the city. As I walked towards him, I heard him say, 'That dream...That girl...What does she have to do with the Digital World?' I asked him what girl and he didn't give me a straight answer."   
  
"It's probably nothing major, Kari." Izzy started, "He's a sixteen year old guy. Guys our age dream about girls all the time."   
  
Kari smiled, "But still-" She began but was interrupted by a door slamming opened. "I guess Tai's ready." She finished, standing.  
  
Tai walked into the family room. He was finally wearing his uniform, which was a dark blue with white striped shirt with soccer shorts. His knee socks covered the padding on his legs and his goggles hung around his neck. "Man, I'm running late. Couch is gonna kill me. Today of all days to be late." He said, not realizing that his friends were sitting there.   
  
"Hey Tai. Rough morning?" Matt asked, grabbing Tai's attention.   
  
Tai looked over at all his friends and blushed, "Hey guys. I...didn't know your were here."   
  
"We gathered." Mimi said, remembering Tai running down the hallway.   
  
Izzy stood and walked over to his friend, "Are ya nervous?" He asked.   
  
Tai smiled weakly. "Me...no of course not. I never get nervous. That's a stupid question. Me nervous? I laugh!" He said.  
  
Joe stood as well, "Then, why are you shaking?" Joe asked.   
  
"I'm not shaking. The world is shaking." Tai shot back, his voice higher than usual.   
  
"Kids! It's time to go!" Mrs. Kayima called from the hallway.   
  
******  
  
Within ten minutes, the eight Digidestined and Tai's parents arrived at the Tokyo dome, where Tai would be playing. The large stadium was one of the largest in the world, which Tai's father kept reminding him in the car ride.   
  
Tai's friends and family walked with Tai to the Player's Entrance. While they all talked about the good match up between the teams, Tai thoughts were wandering. 'That girl...Why can't I get her out of my head?' He thought. 'The Digital World...Why would she know about the Digital World?'  
  
"Well son, here we are." Tai's dad said, grabbing his son's thoughts back to the matter at hand.   
  
"Great." Tai said, his voice sounding excited.   
  
Tai's mom and dad both hugged their son and wished him the best of luck. Then it was his friends turn. Both Mimi and Sora walked up to Tai. "Good luck Tai. We'll be cheering ya on." They both said in unison and both kissed him on both of his cheeks. Tai's face glowed red as he blushed.   
  
"Kick some ass, Tai." Matt said softly, so that his parents wouldn't hear him curse.   
  
"Ditto." Both Izzy and Joe said, laughing.   
  
T.K. and Kari both smiled. "Be careful out there, bro." T.K. said.   
  
Kari hugged her brother. "Good luck and don't get hurt." She stated.   
  
Tai smiled, "I'll be careful, Kari." Letting go of his sister, Tai turned and ran into the open doors towards the locker rooms.   
  
******  
  
"These are great seats, Mr. Kayima." Matt said as they went to a private box right down on the field. They were right on the centerline of the field, which enabled them to see the whole field.   
  
Mr. Kayima smiled as he sat. "They families and the friends of the players get the best seats in the whole stadium."   
  
"This place is packed. Every seat must be filled in this place." Sora noticed, looking around at the number of the masses inside.   
  
Izzy pulled out his palm pilot and began to type. "This game is sold out. That is exactly...120,000 people are here in every seat." Izzy said to the rest of his group.   
  
"You're kidding?" T.K. asked in amazement.   
  
Izzy shook his head. "Well if Tai wasn't nervous before, than he will be nervous when they begin to play." Matt said, looking out at the field.   
  
Suddenly, the announcer's voice echoed over the whole complex causing everyone to become silenced. "Welcome to The State Finals for High School Soccer. Here is the starting line up for Odaiba High School Panthers!" As the players, descriptions, and their positions were called, they would run out onto the field. Finally, Tai was called. "And finally, that center forward. Standing at 5'6, number 19, Tai Kayima!" The crowd went wild as Tai jogged out onto the field. Then as soon as the other team entered, the game began.   
  
The game raged on fiercely during the first half. Tai had managed to steal the ball three times and score two goals. When they started the second half, the score was Panthers five and Wizards four. "This is becoming a very close composition, ladies and gentlemen. Both team's centers are fighting fiercely for control of the soccer ball. They seem to be equally matched in speed and skill. But who will be able to break away in time to score the next goal?"   
  
"Does that announcer have to be so annoying?" Tai asked to nobody.   
  
"What's the matter, Kayima? Getting tired?" The other's center asked.   
  
Tai glared at the other teen. "Of course not, Chris. Why are you?"   
  
Chris got right up in Tai's face, "You want to start something, Kayima?" Shoving Tai backwards.   
  
Tai started to advance towards the other teen but the referee grabbed him. "Break it up." The older man said. Readjusting his shirt, Tai moved back into position.   
  
*****  
  
"What's that guy's problem?" Joe asked angrily.   
  
Kari looked over at Joe and shrugged, "They have always been like that Joe. Tai and Chris are enemies on the field. They got into this huge fight six years ago over a call and became each others healthy rivals."  
"Quite!" Matt shouted. "They're about to start again."   
  
Tai managed to get the ball before Chris could and he was running down the field towards the goal. 'Three steps to the right...than a quick left and then shoot.' Tai thought. The sound of the crowd was deafening but Tai managed to drown it out.   
  
Suddenly, Chris appeared right next to Tai. "Hey Kayima. Special delivery from you to me." The opposing teen kicked his leg up and hit Tai right in the arm with the metal spikes on the bottom of his shoes. Tai flinched in pain but it was pain he could handle until he reached the goal. Chris kept running right up next to him. "Your tough Kayima. But I don't think you'll be able to score when you're knocked out." In one swift motion, Chris's other foot kicked up and this time hit Tai in the back of his head. Tai fell forward onto the field, unconscious.   
  
Kari shot out of her seat when her brother hit the field. "Tai!" She shouted.   
  
"Foul on number 23, Chris Sono for player misconduct." The announcer said. The entire stadium fell silent as the other players on Tai's team ran to their fallen player. Suddenly one of the guys stood and shouted, "We need the medics here!"  
  
The Digidestined and Tai's parents stood from their seats and ran towards the exit of their section. "Come on. This is the way to the field entrance." Izzy shouted to the others. They ran as fast as they could through the already growing crowd. Finally, after running for three minutes they reached the gate where the crowd was greater.  
  
Suddenly, they heard the medics shouted at the crowd, "Out of our way!"   
  
That's when they saw Tai. He was on a stretcher and still being treated. His arm was all bloody from where he had been hit by the cleats. The teens pushed their way up to Tai. "Tai!" Kari shouted as she ran up to him, but she was stopped by one of the medics. "You don't understand! Tai's my brother!" Kari shouted to the woman.  
  
"We're his parents." Mrs. Kayima said to the to woman who stopped Kari. "Can we go with him?"   
  
The woman looked over to the head M.T and turned to back to them. "Yes. Please follow me."   
  
Mr. Kayima turned back to the other Digidestined, "Joe," He said, pulling his car keys from his pocket, "You can drive. Take my car and meet us at the hospital." He finished, throwing the keys over to the teen. Joe nodded and he and the other Digidestined ran towards the parking lot.   
  
******  
  
Ava's computer screen began to glow. "What the...?" She asked as she and Monoko shielded their eyes. Suddenly, a ball of gold light floated from the screen. "What is this?" She questioned.   
  
Than in an instant, the light faded and only the ball of light floating there. Both Ava and Monoko uncovered their eyes and looked at the floating ball in front of them. "Okay...So it isn't a prize." Monoko said, looking in aw at the ball.   
  
Slowly, Ava reached up and carefully grabbed it. The glow vanished and she held something tight in her palm. "Okay. On the count of three, I'll open my hand and we'll see what it is, okay?" Ava proclaimed. Monoko nodded in agreement and so both of them looked down at the closed fist. "One...Two...Three!"   
  
*******  
  
Tai's eyes slowly began to open. His vision was very blurry and he had no idea where he was. "Hey, I think he's coming around." A voice said next to him. Suddenly, seven blurry faces came into above him.   
"Tai? Tai? Can you hear me? It's Kari."  
  
"Kari?" Tai asked quietly.   
  
As he continued to look up, the faces became more in focus. Matt, T.K., Sora, Joe, Mimi, Izzy, and Kari stood hovering over him. Then looking past them, Tai saw a white ceiling above him. "Where am I?" He questioned.   
  
"You're in the hospital. The paramedics brought you here after you got knocked out on the field." Joe said, fixing his glasses.   
  
A rush of memories came back to Tai suddenly. "Chris...his cleats hitting my arm...a surge of pain in my head. The game!" Tai shouted. He shot forward in his bed only to be forced back by the pain in his head. "What about the game? What happened?" Tai questioned.   
  
"The game was all your team. You guys won five to four." T.K. said happily.   
  
Tai smiled a bit as he saw his friends sit back down. "You really scared us, Tai. You have been out now for about three hours." Matt stated looking towards the blinds. Tai followed his gaze to end up in shock. The sight outside the window was beautiful. The skyline of Tokyo was glowing with its beautiful lights.   
  
"What time is it?" Tai asked.   
  
Izzy looked down at his digivice, "About 7:00 at night." He stated.  
  
Closing his eyes, Tai fell backwards onto his pillow. 'Those two girls again.' He thought. 'What does it mean?'   
  
Suddenly, Tai heard the door open. Opening his eyes, Tai saw his parents and a woman doctor walk into the room. "I see you're finally awake, Mr. Kayima. You gave your parents and friends a real scare." She walked over to Tai and helped him sit up. "My name is Doctor Rosecat." Pulling a mini flashlight from her pocket, she began to examine Tai's eyes and head. "Do you know where you are?"  
  
"The hospital..." Tai said weakly.   
  
"Very good. What's today's date?"  
  
Tai paused to think then slowly said, "The 11th of April."   
  
The doctor nodded, "Well done. Do you remember what happened?"  
  
Picking up his hand, Tai touched his bandaged head. "That jerk...he kicked me in the back of my head with those stupid cleats of his. He made me miss the rest of the game!" Tai shouted angrily.   
  
The doctor turned her light off and picked up a clipboard from next to Tai's bed. "Mr. Kayima, you are suffering from a few small cuts to your right arm and a minor concussion. We are allowing you to go home tonight but if there are any problems, please come back so I can look you over."   
  
Nodding, Tai swung his legs around to the floor. He saw that he was still in his uniform, including his cleats. "Can we leave? I'm really tired." He asked, standing.   
  
*******  
  
On the ride home, Tai sat next to the window in his family's large van. He watched as they pasted the many lights of the surrounding skyscrapers and the people on the sidewalks. The window was cool on his forehead as he sat there in silence while the others talked quietly around him. All he wanted was to get home. To be in his bed and be able to sleep without worrying about where he was or what had happened to him. Closing his eyes, Tai concentrated on listing to the soft music of the radio. It was soft rock that his parents always listened to in the car. 'That...girl...' He thought as he fell into a calming sleep.   
  
*******  
  
"What the hell is that thing?" Monoko asked, turning her head so that she could get a better look at the device in her friend's hand. "It looks like a walkie talkie. A really small walkie-talkie."  
  
Ava lifted it up and examined it. "I don't know. I think I it's a Palm Pilot! A brand new version! It's computer like so that's what it must be!"  
  
"How cool..." Monoko stated with a huge smile.   
  
*******  
  
Suddenly, a soft touch came to Tai's shoulder. "Hey Tai. Wake up. We're home." Sora whispered into his ear. Tai opened his eyes to see that he that their car had stopped and he was looking up at his apartment building.   
  
Tai sat up and yawned. "That was fast." He said. Reaching onto the handle, Tai opened the door slowly. He placed both of his feet onto the ground and lifted his tired body out of the car. As soon as he shut the door and let go, Tai suddenly got dizzy. "Whoa..." He said, grabbing onto the car.   
  
"Are you okay?" Mr. Kayima asked.   
  
Tai looked up at his father. "I'm just a little dizzy, that's all."   
  
Smiling, Tai's father picked up his son. "Here, Go to sleep. I'll carry ya." Tai didn't reject his father's offer. Lowering his head, Tai closed his eyes. But before he could drift off again, he heard Matt and the others. "Tell Tai we'll see him tomorrow at school." Matt said to Kari.   
  
"Sure. Bye guys." Kari said quietly.   
  
'See ya guys.' Tai thought. And with that, Tai fell into a dreamless slumber.   
  
  
  
  



	2. Dream Girl in the Digital World

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Digimon. ::sniff sniff:: But I do own all of the characters that I created. So don't use them without my permission.   
  
~ Chapter Two ~   
Dream Girl in the Digiworld  
  
The next morning came extremely fast. The sun rose over the tops of the skyscrapers, making the glass windows shine and dance in the light. Mrs. Kayima and Kari sat in the kitchen eating their breakfast and watching the morning News. "And in sports this morning, the Odaiba High School Panthers have calmed the State Soccer title yesterday in a heated match against the Orange Star Wizards. There was only one major accident during the game. The center forward from the Panthers, Tai Kayima, had to be taken to the hospital after being kicked in the head by opposing team's center, Chris Sono. Kayima was taken to Odaiba General Hospital and was soon after released with only a minor concussion."   
  
Kari looked up at the television. "Only a minor concussion? Please, what about his arm? That jerk Chris kicked Tai in the arm too, ya know." She said loudly.   
  
"Not so loud, dear. You'll wake your brother." Mrs. Kayima said quietly.   
  
Suddenly, a soft creek came from Tai's bedroom door. "It's okay. I'm already up." Tai said. He walked into the kitchen in a pair of loose jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt on that had a skater company logo on the front. His goggles hung around his neck as he flopped into his seat at the table. "Please pass the cereal." He asked tiredly.   
  
Kari slid her brother the box of cereal and then the milk. As Tai sat there pouring his food, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Kari said, rising from the table. Placing her dishes on the counter, Kari ran for the door. When she opened it, Matt and T.K. stood there smiling. "Hi guys." Kari smiled.  
  
"Morning Kari. Are you ready to leave?" T.K asked.  
  
"Hang on, Let me just run and get Tai." She said. Kari ran from the door and around into the kitchen. Within moments, she returned with her backpack and her brother. "Okay, we're ready." She said, placing her hand into T.K.'s.   
  
Tai reached up onto the coat rack and grabbed at his varsity jacket, but was thrown back by the pain in his arm. "Here Tai. I got it." Matt said, handing his friend his coat.   
  
Tai pulled on his jacket slowly. "Thanks Matt." He said as he grabbed his backpack.   
  
"No prob. That's what I'm here for." Both of the teens stepped outside and Tai shut the door. As they walked over to the elevator, Matt looked over at his friend. "It is so cool that we don't have to wear our uniforms since you guys won the Championship."  
  
Tai didn't answer back. "Hey, what's the matter?" Matt asked.  
  
Stopping in front of the elevator where Kari and T.K. were waiting, Tai looked up at his friend. "Correction to your previous sentence: It is so cool that we don't have to wear our uniforms since our school's soccer team won the championship."   
  
"Tai, don't talk like that. You scored two of those goals. The victory is has much as yours as it is the rest of the teams." T.K. said reassuringly.   
  
"Maybe..." Tai said, his voice fading.   
  
*****  
  
When they arrived at school, Matt, T.K., Kari, and Tai where greeted by streamers of dark blue and white. Banners hung all over the lobby in the entrance to the school, which read things like, "Panthers Are STATE CHAMPS!" or "Panthers are Number One!" The sounds of the pep band filled the halls as the small group of musicians marched down the hallway happily playing. The cheerleaders ran down the hallways, their pom-poms shaking in the air. "Wow! When did they find time to do all this?" T.K. asked, pushing a streamer out of his face.   
  
"They must have been here since last night doing all this." Kari declared. Lifting up her camera, Kari took two pictures of the lobby. "Those will make great shots." She said happily.   
  
"Come on guys. Let's go drop our stuff off." Matt said smiling. Leaning over towards Tai, Matt whispered with a grin on his face, "Besides, I just saw the cheerleaders head in that direction."   
  
As the four teens headed towards their lockers, an announcement came on the loud speaker, "Attention Students. Because of the wonderful victory at yesterday's soccer game, all classes will be cancelled today and instead we will have an all day celebration. Today's festivities include a trophy presentation to the players and a dance in the gym. Have fun!"   
  
When the speaker finished their announcement, activity resumed in the halls. Students ran around laughing and celebrating their school's win. Tai reached up with his good arm and began to unlock his locker. "Man, they sure are making a big deal over our win. It was just a game, so what's the big deal?" He asked Matt and the others, his eyes still on his locker.   
  
"You must have been hit harder than we thought, Tai." Kari stated, shutting her locker. Looking at her brother, she looked worried. "You have never sounded so down about soccer before."   
  
Tai placed his last book into his locker and shut it with a slam, causing the others to jump. "I'm sorry. My head still hurts a lot. My medicine hasn't kicked in yet, so all this shouting is really getting to me." Tai said, a smile coming to his face.   
  
"HEY TAI! MY MAN!" A voice said from behide the group of teens. Glancing over his shoulder, Tai saw his teammates running towards him. "Hey Kayima, how ya doin'?" A tall built young man asked loudly, slapping Tai hard on the back.  
  
Grabbing his footing, Tai turned to his teammates. "Hey guys. You did great after I left. I wish I could have been there to see it. But unfortunately for me, I was seeing stars." Tai said laughing. The rest of the team burst into laughter. "So, what happened to Chris after I left? Did they allow him to play?" He asked.   
  
One of the shorter players came over to Tai and rested his arm on his shoulder. "Tai, you should have seen it. Chris was kicked out of the game and he is suspended from ever playing soccer again. He was so angry."   
  
"And you should have seen coach's face when he saw you get hurt. Damn, I didn't even know that your veins could pop out of your neck. Ya know, we came to visit ya right after the game." One of the older players said.   
  
"Really?" Tai asked, for he had not been told that his whole team had come to see him.   
  
The senior head player laughed. "Yea. The nurses were pretty angry when we showed up. Man, Chris really did a number on you."  
  
Tai rubbed his head and smiled, "No kidding. I gotta go. I'll see ya later, okay?" Tai stated. The team smiled and nodded, leaving Tai and the others at their lockers once more. "God, I thought they would never leave." He said, sitting on the floor.   
  
"They were just really happy to see ya, that's all." Matt said, sitting down as well.   
  
Tai looked over at his friend and sighed, "But did they have to talk so loud? God, my head's throbbing!" He yelled, grabbing his head.   
  
"Come on Tai. Let's go see the others. Since Sora and Izzy are on the dance committee, they're probably in the gym." T.K. stated as quietly as possible.   
  
*******  
  
Although being congratulated by every person he passed Tai and the others finally reached the open doors to the gym. The huge room had been decorated in only the school's colors. Balloons and sparkles flew around in the air, making the place look as if it was from a fantasy. Sora, Izzy and Joe stood over by the DJs table. "Hey Sora! Izzy! Joe!" Matt called but quickly covered his mouth, seeing Tai rush to cover his ears.   
  
Seeing the others waving over to them, Sora, Joe, and Izzy placed the papers they were looking over onto the table and ran over to their friends. "Hey guys! What's up?" Izzy yelled threw the gym.   
  
Izzy's shout hit Tai's ears and vibrated hard against his brain. Covering his ears, Tai bent over at his waist and began to just breathe. "God...that really hurts! Does everyone have to yell?" Tai thought angrily. Standing up straight once again, Tai was met with his friends looking at him strangely. "Sorry...But please don't yell. My head really hurts." Tai said, blushing a bit at how he was acting.   
  
Izzy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Tai. I didn't know."   
  
"It's okay." Tai said, smiling.   
  
Sora smiled her sweet smile as usual. "So guys, what do you want to do for the next three hours that we have until the trophy presentation?" She asked.   
  
The seven digidestined looked at each other in silence. No one had thought about what they should do for the time they had until the presentations started. Suddenly, an idea came to Joe. "Hey, how about a little trip. Let's go visit the Digital World and see the Digimon."   
  
"That's a great idea, Joe." Tai exclaimed. Reaching into his jeans' pocket, Tai withdrew his small Digivice. "Let's do it." He said, sounding like his leader-like self again.   
  
The others pulled out their digivices and smiled. "To the Digiworld!" They all shouted happily, their voices echoing through the gym and through Tai's head.   
  
"Okay. Since we're going, Mimi will probably want to go too." Sora started. Brushing her hair out of her face, she looked over at T.K, Kari, Izzy and Joe. "Let's split up and find her. She's with the cheerleaders, so all you have to look for is the pom-poms. Kari, Joe and I will search upstairs, while T.K, Izzy, Matt and Tai search downstairs."   
  
Tai smiled at the others. "Cool. Let's meet in the new Mac Lab upstairs in about twenty minutes. Okay?"   
Nodding, the Digidestined ran out of the gym to find Mimi. As T.K., Izzy and Matt rushed around through the halls looking for their friend, Tai lagged behide. His head was pounding and so was his arm. The hallway kept going in and out of focus as he walked around. "Damn, why can't I see straight? I guess I should take some of my medicine." He thought. Stopping, Tai leaded against the lockers and pulled his backpack off his shoulders. Placing it onto the ground, he began to look for his painkillers.   
  
"Tai, what are ya doin'?" Matt asked, running back to his friend.   
  
Smiling, Tai withdrew his medicine and a bottle of water from his backpack. "I need to take this. My head feels as if I'm being hit with jackhammer." Tai stated, holding up the prescribed medicine. "The Doc says to take two pills a day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Since I didn't take one before I left this morning, I'm taking it now." Nodding, Matt ran off in search of the other Digidestined.  
  
Within the twenty minutes, the entire Digidestined team sat in the computer room. The new room was fill with the latest models of computers. The sunlight made the glass screens shine as Izzy opened up the program. "Okay. This shouldn't take long, guys. All I have to do is set up the info-red connection to the World Wide Web. Then enter the proper codes and send the connection to the portals in the Digital World, to let them know that we're coming."   
  
"Um, Izzy. Could you repeat that in English this time?" Tai asked, blushing.   
  
Izzy typed even faster than before. "I'm going to open a portal for us to use." He stated slowly.   
"Why didn't you just say that?" Tai asked, sitting on an empty chair.   
  
"I thought I did." Izzy whispered to himself.  
  
Mimi sat on top of one of the desks in her cheerleading uniform. She had her legs crossed in her short skirt and her posture was perfect. This made Joe, T.K. and Matt stare a bit, but not enough for her to notice. "This is great. I'm going to be able to see Gabumon again." Matt said happily.   
  
"Okay guys. The portal's opened. Let's go!" Izzy said happily.   
  
Standing around the monitor, the teens held up their digivices. "Let's do it!" They shouted in unison. And with that, they vanished into the screen of the computer.   
  
*******  
  
Suddenly, the Digidestined found themselves standing in front of the portal that was covered in vines. They were back in the Digital World. "All right! We're back!" T.K. shouted happily. He looked around the woods in amazement. "Everything seems the same...except...not as big as before."  
  
"It only seems smaller, T.K., because of the fact that you grew about three feet since we were last here." Kari said, laughing.   
  
"Come on, guys." Tai said, running onto the path in front of them. "Let's go for a walk."   
  
The Digidestined strolled slowly down the dimly lighted dirt paths of the Digital Forest. The plants on the sides of the road were a bit over grown as they walked. The trees created a nice shield from the rays of the sun. "This is really nice." Mimi said, brushing her hair from her face.   
  
Tai walked a bit separate from the group. He kept his eyes on the path below him, watching his feet take one step at a time. His thoughts began to wander away from the Digiworld and into his own. Tai's memory became overwhelmed by the thoughts of his dream. 'That girl...' He thought.   
  
Suddenly, Tai's thoughts came rushing back to the world around him when he and the others heard an explosion. "What was that?" Tai asked.   
  
"It came from over there." Sora shouted. With the others close behide, Sora ran into the woods.   
  
It seemed as if they ran forever, but at last they found the source of the explosion. Two large Champion Digimon were battling in a clearing in the woods. "Whoa. That's a Hawkalmon fighting a Tigermon. Prodigious." Izzy said as he watched the battle rage on in front of him and the others.   
  
Tai's eyes scanned the area of the battle. The two Champions blasted each other with blinding masses of energy. As the fight raged in front of the Digidestined, a faint voice came from across the clearing. "Get him, Tigermon!" Tai looked over in the direction of the voice and felt himself go white. A teenage girl ran into the clearing. Her shoulder black hair blew behide her as she ran. She wore a black tee that had a goth symbol on it. Her dark blue bellbottoms covered her black boots as she stopped. "You can beat that Hawkalmon!" She shouted.   
  
Tigermon roared as a white light shot from its mouth, which caused Hawkalmon to go flying backwards. As the bird Digimon regrouped, it rose up into the air. Suddenly, the massive bird shouted, "Raging Winds!" The gust of wind was so strong, that it threw Tigermon off of his feet and into the air. But as he flew into the sky, the blast was redirected at the girl.  
  
Jumping out from the safety behide the trees, Tai ran towards the girl. "Hey! Watch Out!" He shouted. Grabbing the teen by her waist, Tai pushed the girl out of the way of the attack. As Tai grabbed the girl, a warm feeling rushed over him. 'What's going on? What is this feeling..." The two teens skidded on the ground, becoming covered in dust. When they reached the edge of the clearing, they slid to a halt. Sitting up, Tai released the other teen's waist. "Are you alright?" Tai asked, looking down at her.   
  
"I'm fine. Thank you." The girl stated gratefully. As the girl looked up at Tai, her hazel eyes met his brown ones. She stared at Tai for a moment then smiled. "You saved me. Why?" She asked.   
  
Tai stood and dusted himself off. Then he extended his hand down to her. "I really don't why. I guess I'm just a nice guy like that." He said smiling.   
  
Suddenly, a loud thud came from the middle of the clearing. "Tigermon!" The girl shouted. She jumped to her feet and dashed over to the cloud of smoke. As Tai watched the smoke clear, it revealed the large tiger Digimon lying on its side, breathing heavily. "Tigermon! Speak to me!" The girl pleaded.  
  
"So sad, isn't it? Such a strong Digimon was easily taken down by my Hawkalmon. Such a waste of data your Tigermon is." A voice said from above.   
  
Shooting his eyes skyward, Tai saw Hawkalmon hovering above the clearing. But on his back, there was a teen about Tai's age riding on it back. The boy wore fearsome samurai armor with the facemask drawn down. As the boy descended, the others ran over to Tai, their eyes facing upward as well. "Tai, are you okay?" Sora asked.   
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered as he continued to look up.   
  
As the bird landed, the teen jumped from its back. "You people actually think you will be able to defeat me? The mighty Digimon Warlord?" He said laughing.   
  
"The Digimon...Warlord?" Joe repeated.   
  
"Listen," The girl stated, rising from her Digimon. "I can't see why you want to destroy this place, you jerk. Why do you want to do it?"   
  
The samurai laughed. "Simple. All I want to do is have my own world to rule over. For both of us to rule over." He stated, grabbing the girl's hand.   
  
Tai watched as the girl struggled to break free from the teen's gasp. "Hey! Let go of her!" Tai yelled, causing the warrior to look over at him. 'What am I thinking? Why did I just say that? I feel as if I should protect this girl...but why?' Tai thought, looking down at the ground.   
  
"You are brave...a lot braver than when you are on the soccer field. But tell me, how did you manage to get here, Tai?" The warrior asked.   
  
Stepping back backwards a bit, Tai's eyes widened in shock. "What?" He whispered.   
  
Laughing, the warrior climbed onto the Hawkalmon once again. "Until we meet again, Kayima." He shouted as he rose into the air and suddenly vanished.   
  
Tai continued to stare at the sky. 'What the--? How did he know my name?' He thought.   
"I'm glad you saved me. Thank you." The girl said smiling.   
  
"Who are you?" Matt asked. "Where are you from?"   
  
The girl walked over to Tigermon, who began to stand steadily on the ground again. Climbing onto the Digimon's back, she smiled. "My name is Ava Cononoshi. It's a pleasure to meet you. Maybe we'll see each other again someday." She said, a haunting smile spreading across her lips. Looking down at her Digimon's head, Ava whispered, "Let's go home." Tigermon bolted out into a full out sprint into the woods and fanished from their sights.   
  
"Ava? Do you think she could be a Digidestined like us?" Mimi asked the rest of her group.   
  
Tai walked over towards the rim of trees that surrounded the clearing. "Maybe Mimi, but I just don't-" Suddenly a jolt of memories rushed back into Tai's thoughts. 'My dream...the red-haired girl called the girl with the Digivice...Ava...' Tai's vision became blurry. Finding the nearest tree, he grabbed it for support. "Tai, What's wrong?" He heard Matt ask.   
  
"That girl...I've seen her before." Tai panted out. His head was spinning and he didn't know why. The ground moved under him like a violent earthquake and the visions from his dream flowed back to him. Tai felt his knees beginning to give from underneath him. "It's her...she's the one." He breathed again. Finally, Tai's knees gave out, and he fell to the ground.  
  
"Tai, what's wrong?" Kari shouted, rushing to her brother's side.   
  
Tai looked up at his sister's blurry face. "Kari...I don't know. All I know is that...she's one of us." Falling into his sister's arms, Tai fell asleep.   
  
********  
  
"Kari what happened?" A voice said from above Tai. The voice sounded like it was far above him, like he was underwater.   
  
"I don't know. All he said was that, 'She's one of us' and then he went out like a light." Kari stated, she too, sounded muffled.   
  
"Hey! Maybe he took these." T.K.'s voice said. Tai heard a bottle shack with something inside it. "The label says that he should take one before going to bed."   
  
"Yea. I saw Tai take those in the hallway. He must have mistaken them for another type of medicine." Matt said.   
  
Tai opened his eyes slowly. He was laying on something soft and something warm was drawn over him. Sitting up, Tai looked around slowly. He saw that he was in the nurse's office in his school. "Huh? How did I get here?" Tai asked groggily.   
  
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Izzy said happily. Looking over next to him, Tai saw the others sitting on the opposite bed from his. "Ya know, you should really learn to read the labels on your medicine." He stated smiling. Holding up the bottle, Izzy read the label. " 'Take one at night to help with sleep.' What happened? Did you grab the wrong pain killers this morning or just forgot to have your coffee so you couldn't read any of the labels?"   
  
Tai smiled a bit. "How did I get here?" He questioned, rubbing his eyes.   
  
"We carried you back through the portal and then ran to get a teacher to help us carry you. All we had to say was that you fainted and it worked like a charm, too." Matt stated in his usual cool way.   
  
Tai shook the sleep from his eyes. "When did we get back?" He asked. "I feel as if I have been asleep for hours."   
  
Mimi giggled. "We got back at least ten minutes ago."   
  
"Really? Dude, did you see where that girl went?" Tai asked, getting back on track.   
  
Joe sighed, "Man, you said that she was one of us. Tai, have you known about this girl and neglected to tell us?" He asked.   
  
Tai swung his legs onto the floor. "No. But...when I grabbed her, I felt something between us. As if we are connected in some way." Tai said softly. Looking down at the floor, he sighed. 'Ava, we are connected...and I know you feel it too." Tai thought.   
  
  



	3. Midnight Call

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN Digimon! But I do own the original characters and Digimon that I created from my own little head. Please do not take them without my permission.   
  
Chapter Three  
~ Midnight Call ~  
  
Kari watched her brother carefully as they left the nurse's office. He still looked a bit dazed and confused, but she didn't want to say anything. "Tai, we should head to the auditorium. The awards presentation should be starting soon." She stated, looking over towards her older sibling.   
  
Tai didn't react to what Kari said. He just looked down at his feet as he walked down the empty hallway. His thoughts were wandering as always but on things that had been plaguing him since the day before. His dream was real. The girl was real. 'How did I know that she would show up? I thought only Kari could do that. Maybe it just runs in the family or maybe...oh I don't know. This whole thing is very weird. I should be happy that we won. Don't let this get to me. Just let it move from your thoughts...' He rattled on in his brain.   
  
Without warning, Matt's hand came down onto Tai's shoulder, causing the teen to jump. "Dude, what's up? What's wrong?" He asked.   
  
"Nothing. Just thinking." Tai replied.   
  
"About what?" Sora questioned.  
  
Tai smiled, "Just random stuff."  
  
*********  
  
The rest of the day went like clockwork. The award presentation went without a mistake and the dance was perfect. Of course, someone spiked the punch and the dancing got out of control, but that's what happens at High School dances. All eight digidestined were having the times of their lives, dancing and such. Matt's band made an appearance during the dance, so that the DJ could take a break. Tai was asked to dance by almost every cheerleader and homecoming queen candidate there was. This took his mind off Ava and the connection between them.   
  
That night, Tai and Kari managed to drag themselves home. They stayed after the dance to help Sora, Joe, and Izzy clean up the gym. After dinner, Tai went into his room and shut the door behide him. He went over to his computer and flopped down into the large chair in front of the glowing screen. As he sat there, he looked up at the screen and saw that he had some new mail. "Huh? I wonder who it's from?" He said aloud.   
  
Looking at the address, he sighed. "Damn, just junk mail." As he threw the old mail out, he heard the door open. "Who's there?" Tai asked, not turning away from the screen.   
  
"Tai? Can I ask you something?" Kari's small voice asked.   
  
Turning around, Tai saw his sibling shutting the door behide her. Smiling, he asked, "What do want to know?"  
  
Kari walked over to his bed and sat down on it. Looking up at him, she questioned softly, "Tai, did you really feel something when you touched Ava? I mean, it wasn't just your hormones?"   
  
Tai turned away towards the screen, a bit angry over the hormone joke. "No Kari. I know when it's my hormones talking. But this was something I've never experienced before. Like, when I touched her, something sparked...like our minds and hearts were one."   
  
Standing, Kari placed her hands on her hips. "Really? Are you sure you weren't just imaging it?" She inquired.   
  
Tai jumped to his feet. "I didn't imagine it, Kari! I know what I felt and I know that Ava and I are connected!" He shouted.  
  
Suddenly, the computer screen began to glow brighter than it ever did. The white light flooded the room and covered both teens. A huge gust of wind spun around the brother and sister. "What's happening?" Kari shouted over the wind.  
  
"Tai..." A voice whispered threw the wind. Turning, Tai looked back at the screen. "Tai, the bearer of the Crest of Courage...leader of the Digidestined...come to me..." The voice echoed.   
  
Walking towards the screen, Tai nodded. "Tai! Don't!" Kari screamed. But her pled did nothing, for Tai walked right to the screen and vanished.  
  
***********  
  
When Tai reappeared, he was on a small bridge looking over a pond. The moon hung over head, shining its beautiful light into the water. The pond was surrounded by willow trees and different types of water flowers. The lush green growth made it hard to see into the surrounding area. Then Tai saw that he wasn't in his normal clothes. He was dressed in a black pair of pants with combat boots. His shirt was black with a small Crest of Courage on the front and on the sleeves. "Okay...Now I'm freaked out." He said.   
  
"Oh, it's you." A female voice stated from the other side of the bridge. Looking over to the other end, Tai saw the girl from earlier that day standing there. She wore knee-high black boots with a short black skirt to match. Her shirt was long sleeved with a crest symbol on the sleeves and front like Tai's. "The computer brought you here too?" She asked, walking over to Tai.  
  
Tai nodded. "Yea. Do you know why we're here?" He asked.  
  
"No clue. You're the guy who saved me this afternoon, aren't you?" She asked, smiling a bit.   
  
"Yea. My name's Taichi Kayima. But call me Tai. I hate my real name." Tai stated in a matter of fact way.   
  
Ava blushed. "That was really brave of you, Tai. To jump out in front of an attack from an Champion Digimon to save a girl you don't even know." She stated, leaning against the railing.   
  
Tai walked over to Ava and leaded against the bar as well. "Actually, I have seen you before." He said softly.   
  
"You too?" She said, sounding shocked. Looking over at Ava, Tai saw her face turn redder than before. "I've seen you before, too."   
  
Tai stood straight up and turned to Ava. "In a dream?" He asked.  
  
She nodded. "Yea. I saw you playing soccer during a game. You had your Digivice on your belt while you played. But suddenly, it began to beep and you said that you had to leave. Then you ran into the school and opened the Digiport and then you went flying into the Digiworld." Standing up next to Tai, she looking him right in the eyes. "When I saw you this afternoon, I didn't want to say anything. I was afraid that you might think I'm some weirdo."   
  
Tai laughed. "Please, I don't think anyone is weird...except for Joe. The guy likes to go to summer school." He said, smiling at her.   
  
"What did you see me doing?" Ava asked.   
  
Tai sat cross-legged on the bridge. "I saw when you got your Digivice. And I saw when you were talking to your friend, Monoko. How she thought that you won passes to a new amusement park." He said, looking up at her.   
  
Ava's eyes widened. "You saw that? Sorry, Monoko can sometimes be clueless." She stated sounding very sorry.   
  
Tai nodded. "Yea, my friend Mimi can be like that, too."   
  
Looking at each other, both Ava and Tai started to laugh. "You're so sweet, Tai." Ava said, a huge smile on her face.   
  
Feeling his face grow warm, Tai smiled as well. Suddenly, the voice that Tai heard come from the computer spoke from nowhere. "Tai and Ava..." It whispered over the water.   
  
"Who are you?" Tai shouted into the over the pond towards the trees. He stood in front of Ava, in case it was a trap. "Why did you bring us here?"  
  
All of a sudden, a light appeared over the water. As the two teens watched, the light formed into a human form. Its long white hair flowed down its back and to the top of the pond. Its gentle features appeared to be of a woman's. Her long white dress fell the same length of her hair as it graced the water's surface lightly.   
When it was finally in full human form, her features and gown glowed a radiant white light. "Tai and Ava...I have summoned you here for a special purpose. You have been chosen."  
  
"Chosen for what?" Ava asked, stepping out from behide Tai.   
  
The woman smiled when she saw them standing next to one another. "You two are the ones with the strongest power of the crests. The crests that I helped Genni create." She said softly.   
  
Tai's eyes widened, "You helped create the crests?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, I did." Her voice softer than before.   
  
Ava looked questionably at the woman. "Who...are...you?" The teen asked, her voice very timid sounding.   
  
The woman smiled softly at the two adolescence teens dressed in black. "I am known as Guardianmon. I am the protector of the fragile balance of good and evil in the Digital World. It was I would used your sister, Tai, as the bridge to you when you were here five years ago."  
  
"That was you? Why didn't you just make a body for yourself like now?" Tai asked, remembering how his sister had showed him and the others how Genni had saved their crests and digieggs.  
  
Floating closer to them, Guardianmon stated, "I didn't have enough power back then to create a body that was stable enough to talk to you children back then."   
  
Ava nodded in understanding, "Okay. But what crests? I don't have one." She stated  
.  
"That is why you are here. You are about to test the power of your crest and your bond with Tai." The lady in white stated. Turning, the woman looked out over the pond. "Tai, please take Ava's hands in your own."   
  
Tai blushed a bit when she said that. Looking over at Ava, he smiled. Seeing Ava's smile meet his own, Tai reached down and took her hold of her soft hands.   
  
"Now, turn to each other and repeat the chant I am about to say: 'Crest of Courage, Crest of Life. Surrender your powers, the force ignite...Release.' Don' t mess up." The woman Digimon said.   
  
Looking at each other, Tai and Ava began the chant. "Crest of Courage, Crest of Life. Surrender your powers, the force ignite...Release!"   
  
Suddenly, a small circle of light appeared in the water. As Tai and Ava watched, the light shot out of the pond's clear water and into the air. Then, in a loud explosion, nine pieces of different colored light floated down to the two Digidestined, one going to Ava and the others going to Tai. As they caught them, the lights turned into the crests of the digidestined. "It's our crests!" Tai shouted happily.   
  
"Your powers are unbelievable." Guardianmon said, facing them once again. Looking at Ava, the woman smiled, "Ava, you are the bearer of the Crest of Life."   
  
"The Crest of Life?" She asked.  
  
The woman nodded. "You and Tai are different than the other Digidestined. Your crests carry more power than the others do and you can link them together to create a powerful and destructive force. Please be careful." She stated.   
  
Both teens nodded. "Very well. I must leave you now and return you to your world. When you return, it will be morning for you, Tai and night for you, Ava. Farewell." And with that, the woman vanished.   
  
Ava and Tai smiled at each other. "I'll see you again when the Digiworld needs us." Ava stated softly.   
  
Tai placed his crest around his neck then moved closer to Ava and hugged her. "Welcome to the group." He stated, smiled.   
  
Suddenly, both of them began to vanish. "Bye, Tai!" Ava called as she vanished.   
  
"Good Bye, Ava!" Tai answered back.   
  
**********  
  
Closing his eyes, Tai became engulfed in a warm white glow. Every part of him seemed to be calm with his surrounding. He felt the seven crests in his fist and his own around his neck. As a breeze rushed past his face, Tai became very confortable with what was happening. Suddenly, Tai hit the floor of his bedroom with a thud. Opening his eyes, Tai felt the sting of the carpet on his cheek. "That...really...hurts." He said into the floor.   
  
"Tai?" He heard Kari's voice say. Looking up, Tai came face to face with his little sister. "What happened? Are you okay?" She asked quickly.   
  
Sitting up, Tai rubbed his face with the fist that had the crests in it. Feeling the cold chains on his face, Tai remembered to tell her. "Kari! I got something for you! Look!" He said, as if he were a little kid again. Looking through his fist, Tai found and withdrew his sister's Crest of Light. "I got this back for you." Tai said, dangling the piece of jewelry in front of his sister.   
  
"My Crest of Light! Tai, how did you find another one? All of our crests were destroyed while fighting Myotismon five years ago." Kari said as she placed it around her neck.   
  
Tai sat up and told his sister everything that happened when he was transported into the computer realm. After hearing the whole story, except for the part about the powers of himself and Ava combining, Kari sat back on the floor. "Whoa. You were right, Tai."   
  
"I told you so. Ava is the ninth digidestined." He said, smiling.   
  
Smiling, Kari looked up at the clock. Suddenly, she shouted, "Tai! Get dressed...We were suppost to meet the others ten minutes ago!"  
  



	4. The Digimon Warlord Revealed

Chapter Four  
~ The Digimon Warlord Revealed ~   
  
Tai and Kari dashed into the computer in the school and slammed the door shut. "Hey, morning guys. Sorry we're late. I had fallen asleep at my computer." Tai said, as the others greeted him and his sister. Placing his backpack onto the closest desk, he sat into the chair next to Izzy. Looking up at the screen, he saw a map of the Digital World had been drawn up. "Okay, so what's up in our home away from home?" He asked cheerfully.   
  
Izzy looked over at his goggle headed friend. "Well," he started, sounding much older than sixteen, "The Digimon Warlord has begun to take the Digital World over by force. He has managed to gain control of many different and powerful Digimon and turn them into his own personal hit and run Digital Mob."   
  
Standing from the windowsill, Sora placed her hands on hips. "And because of the fact that our Digimon can't Digivolve without us there, they are in danger." Walking over to the screen, Sora stared at the screen longingly. "If we only had our crests again...then we might have a chance against this jerk." She stated softly.   
  
Suddenly, Tai burst out laughing. He threw himself back into his chair and held his sides because they began to hurt. "What is so funny, Tai? Our Digimon could be dying and you're sitting here laughing your head off!" Mimi shouted angrily.   
  
Gaining control over his harsh laughter, Tai stood and walked over to him backpack. Unzipping the larger pocket, he withdrew a small wooden jewelry box, which belonged to Kari. Placing it onto the desk, Tai looked up at his friends and their questionable looks. "Funny you should mention our crests, Sora." The teen began. Opening the lid, Tai searched through the small box until finally he spoke, "I have gifts for all of you. But you have to close your eyes and hold out your hands." Tai said, smiling.   
  
Although completely forced to, the other Digidestined closed their eyes and held out their hands. One by one, Tai placed the rightful crest into its respected teen hand. After they were given back, Kari smiled and shouted. "Okay! Open your eyes!"  
  
"What?" T.K. asked, holding up his Crest of Hope.   
  
"This is impossible." Matt stated, placing the Crest of Friendship around his neck.   
  
"How can this be? Our crests were destroyed by Myotismon five years ago." Joe stated, holding his up to the light.   
  
Tai smiled as he watched his friends examine and put on the newly restored crests. 'I'm glad that they're happy. But, I don't want to tell them that I'm the one who helped restore them. I just...can't. Ava... Guardianmon is right. We are powerful...but just how power can we really be?' He thought, looking over at the computer screen.   
  
"Tai, how did you get our crests back?" Izzy questioned, looking over at his daydreaming friend.  
  
Looking back at his friends and family, Tai got 'a foot in his mouth'. "Um...Genni made new ones..."  
  
The others looked at one another and then back at Tai. "Really? That's awesome, Tai." T.K. stated, smiling.   
  
"It's the truth." Tai stated coolly.   
  
Suddenly, all of the Digidestined digivices went off at the same time. "Looks like were being paged." Joe stated as he walked over to the computer. Looking back at the others, Joe held up his digivice. "Well, shall we get this party started?" He asked, a big grin on his face.   
  
Withdrawing their computer devices as well, the seven other digidestined joined Joe in front of the computer. "Okay guys! Let's do it! DIGIPORT OPEN!" Tai shouted, holding up his digivice. As they became covered in the warm light of the portal, Tai smiled to himself, 'Ava...Let's fight this guy once and for all...together.' He thought as he and the others vanished.   
  
**********  
  
When they arrived in the Digital world, an explosion greeted the Digidestined. The dust flew into their eyes and into their noses. "Gross! Dust!" Mimi shouted, covering her face.   
  
"Tai! Guys! Over here!" A voice shouted off to the side.   
  
Looking out from behide his arms, Tai saw Ava standing by a cluster of trees. She waved her arms in the air, signaling for him and the others to come over towards her. "Guys! This way!" Tai shouted, heading towards the girl. All eight digidestined ran over to the trees. When they reached them, all of the teens fell to the ground, breathing hard. Looking up, Tai was met with Ava's hand outstretched to him. "Ava, when did you get here?" He asked, accepting her hand.   
  
Pulling Tai to his feet, Ava smiled, "I just got here. Lucky for me, I was met by a few friends of yours." She stated, pointing over her shoulder.   
  
Peering over Ava shoulder, Tai saw the eight Digimon that belonged to him, his sister, and his friends. "Agumon! Hey buddy!" Tai said happily, grabbing his Digimon's attention.   
  
"Tai! It's really you!" Agumon shouted as he ran to his companion. Tai fell to his knees so that he could huge the dinosaur Digimon and talk to him at eye level. "Man, it feels as if I haven't seen you in five years." Agumon continued.   
  
Pulling away from his friend, Tai smiled. "You haven't seen me in five years, Agumon. But then again, you never had a good grasp on years and dates." He laughed.   
  
As the other teens became reunited with their Digimon, Ava glanced over at Tai. "Hey Tai," She started, looking at him in the eyes. "Did you tell them about...you know...our special powers?"   
  
Tai stiffened at her question. Looking down at the grass beneath his feet, Tai gulped, "I...couldn't. They were happy to get their crests back and I didn't want to spring anything new on them. Besides," He stopped and looked Ava in her hazel eyes. Moving closer to her so only she could hear, he whispered, "I want to keep this between us for now. It will come out when the time is right."   
  
Nodding, Ava bent down and picked up a small tiger-looking cub. Its fur was a blackish color with a bit of orange mixed in. Tai cocked an eyebrow at Ava as she held the small cat. "Tai, this is Catalamon. You met her when she was in her Tigermon form. This is her rookie form."   
  
"Nice to meet you, Catalamon." Tai established, petting the cat's head.   
  
Looking up at Tai, the feline Digimon grinned. "Ditto. I'm enchanted to meet you."   
  
"Hey you two!" Matt shouted at Tai and Ava. Turning around, the two teens were met by glances of the other Digidestined. "Are you finished flirting with each other? Tai, Aren't you going to introduce us to her?" The blond-haired guitarist said, a smile on his lips.   
  
Smiling dumbly, Tai cleared his throat. "Okay. Ava, I'll go from left to right. First, there is Matt. He has his own band and is a great singer." He stated.   
  
"Nice to meet you, Ava." Matt said, his flirtation mode beginning to kick in.   
  
Clearing his throat even louder to cut Matt's concentration, Tai continued, "Next, there is Mimi and Sora. These two are joined at the hip. They are best friends. Mimi models and is a cheerleader and Sora is on Student Council, the dance committee, and she sings in the choir." Mimi and Sora both smiled sweetly as they said hello. "Next, there is my sister, Kari and Matt's little brother, T.K. They are dating and their freshmen at our school. Kari does photo, while T.K. is in the Art Honor Society. And finally, there is Joe and Izzy. Joe is a junior and is on the Student Council with Sora. Izzy is the president of the Computer Club and is taking classes at the local computer and Tech. College."   
  
"It's nice to meet all of you." Ava confirmed. Looking over at Tai, she smiled her charming smile. "Hey, the Digimon Warlord is on the move. He was last seen moving in this direction. So I think we should prepare the Digimon for battle by having them Crest Digivolve."   
  
"Wait a sec. You have a crest?" Izzy questioned.   
  
Ava looked over at the computer wiz and withdrew the piece of jewelry from inside her shirt. "Yea. I got mine when Tai got his and yours back. Mine is the Crest of Life." She said proudly.   
  
"The Crest of Life?" Sora asked, looking at the symbol inside the glass. The actual crest had a small circle in the center of it that was half-black and half-white. Then eight points stuck out from it, each one alternating from black to white. "I've never heard of it before."   
  
"That's because it was just created last night, Sora." Tai stated.   
  
T.K. straighten his back up and held up his digivice. "Enough talk. Let's get a move on just in case the Digimon Warlord decides to show up." He stated his voice sounding very determined and ready for battle.   
  
"Right!" The other shouted in unison.   
  
"Agumon Crest Digivolve to...Metalgraymon!"  
  
"Gabumon Crest Digivolve to...Weregarurumon!"  
  
"Biyomon Crest Digivolve to...Garudamon!"  
  
"Tentomon Crest Digivolve to...MegaKabuterimon!"  
  
"Palmon Crest Digivolve to...Lillymon!"  
  
"Gomamon Crest Digivolve to...Zudomon!"  
  
"Patamon Crest Digivolve to...MagnaAngemon!"  
  
"Gatomon Crest Digivolve to...MegaAngewomon!"   
  
"Catalamon Crest Digivolve to...MetalTigermon!"  
  
As soon as the Digimon finished Crest Digivolving, a deep rich laugh filled the air. "Well, well, well. I see you have brought in the Calvary to try to beat me." The voice of the Digimon Warlord echoed. He sounded very close to the group of Digidestined and their Digimon but he wasn't in clear eye range. The teens looked around the surrounding area franticly, trying to find were the jerk was. But these actions only made the Warlord laugh. "Please. You look too sad even for words."   
  
"Show yourself or I'll have MetalTigermon turn this whole forest into ashes!" Ava shouted, sounding very annoyed.   
  
That's when he revealed himself from in the treetops. "Anything for you, my love." The teen said, his armor clacking as it hit the ground.   
  
Tai and the others looked at Ava. "He has a crush on me...Never gonna happen." Ava stated.   
  
The young armored man stopped dead in his tracks at Ava's compliment. "Really. Do you think so, Ava? Well, I will stop at nothing to have the Digiworld to rule over with you by my side." He said as he ran back to the tree he jumped out of. All of a sudden, the ground began to shake underneath the teenagers' feet. Then, in a huge cloud of dust rose from the ground a huge Digimon. "I would like you to meet my new pet, Calloramon. He is extremely deadly with his Double-Edge Thunder Attack. It's quite shocking." The warlord laughed.   
  
"Bring it on!" Tai shouted as the newly Digivolved Digimon at their new threat head on. The battle raged on fiercely. Calloramon was beating the Crest Digimon very harshly. Finally, the Digidestined Digimon just gave out and returned to their in-training forms. "NO!" Tai shouted as he ran to his Digimon's side.   
"Catalamon, speak to me!" Ava cried, holding her friend in her arms. She felt the hot tears beginning to form in her eyes, as her sleeping friend lay there motionless. She could hear the others trying to coax their companions awake. "Please Catalamon. Live, dammit, Live!" She shouted.  
  
"Agumon...please. Have the courage to keep fighting." Tai whispered to his friend.   
  
Suddenly, both Tai and Ava's crest began to glow. The light that flew from both of the small pieces of glass was enormous. "What's happening?" Matt shouted, covering his eyes.   
  
"Tai and Ava's crests are reacting to something...But I don't know what." Izzy yelled back.   
  
As the two teens looked at their crests in wonder, they suddenly became engulfed in the warm white light. "Tai...Ava..." A familiar voice said softly.   
  
Tai looked up, only to be met by shock. Both he and Ava were in the black outfits again and they were kneeling in front of each other. Ava was staring at him, her expression the same as his. "This is a bit of Dejivu, if you ask me." Ava said, her voice echoing throughout the white void.   
  
Suddenly, the familiar face of Guardianmon appeared at the sides of the two teens. "Tai and Ava. Please release my power. Release me to fight this demon and I will beat him."   
  
"How do we release you?" Tai asked, knowing that he was desperate to try anything.   
  
The woman in white smiled her normal smile. "The same way you set your new crests free. Use that chant."   
  
Ava looked up at Guardianmon and smiled. "We will release you. Right Tai?" She stated coolly. Looking back at the teenage boy, Ava was met with a pale face. Tai looked as if he was ready to give out at any moment. "Tai, What's wrong?" She asked, her voice becoming concerned. She reached over and grabbed Tai's shoulders, trying to support the young man.  
  
"I don't really know. My whole body feels really tired and weak." Tai's voice explained.   
  
Guardianmon reached over to both teens and rested her hands on top of their heads. "Tai and Ava. Because you are inside this light shield, you are slowly becoming weaker. Tai, because of your injuries from your soccer game earlier this week, you are getting weaker quicker." Removing her hands, Guardianmon began to fade. "I will remove the light shield, but in order for you to win, you must release my power to destroy this evil Digimon."   
  
Both of the teenagers nodded in agreement. "Very well. Remember to join your hands together to release the power." Guardianmon whispered as she fanished from sight.   
  
Suddenly, the light shield around the two digidestined faded and they were back on the battlefield. "Tai! Ava!" Izzy's voice shouted.   
  
Looking at one another, Tai held up his hands to Ava's. "Let's do this." He said weakly.   
Agreeing, Ava placed her hands into his. "Crest of Courage and the Crest of Light. Surrender your powers...our force ignite...Release!" They shouted in unison.   
  
The sky around the area of battle began a clear white color. The Digimon returned to their rookie forms, only to gaze at the powers of magic that were appearing before them. Tai and Ava's crests began to glow once more. "Our Digimon digivolved back to the rookie level. Izzy, What's happening?" Matt asked, looking over at his computer wiz friend.  
  
Izzy looked at Matt and the rest of the questionable Digidestined faces. "To tell you the true, I have no idea."   
  
As they turned back to the field, the seven other Digidestined could only watch as the two crests powers were combined.   
  
"What is this power I am feeling?" The Digimon Warlord grumbled to himself as he, too, watched the lights from the crests glow brighter by the minute.   
  
Suddenly, the crests power shot out a huge blast of energy. The ball floated above Tai and Ava's heads and slowly made its way to the ground. With all eyes upon it, the sphere turned into the Digimon, Guardianmon. Lifting her head, the long, white haired Digimon stood strongly in front of the two teens that set her free. Looking up at the Digimon Warlord with her deep blue eyes, Guardianmon spoke. "Are you the one who calls himself the Digimon Warlord?" Her voice echoed through the area around her. A light glow still surrounded her persona.   
  
Reaching into his backpack, Izzy withdrew his laptop. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he brought up the Digimon Analyzer. "That's Guardianmon. She is one of the most powerful Digimon to ever exist in the Digital World. But here it says that she was destroyed over fifty years ago." The boy explained, looking at the others around him. Staring back out at the clearing, Izzy saw Tai and Ava still kneeling. Their eyes were closed and they had their hands still locked in each others. "Look at Tai and Ava. They look as if..."  
"As if they are in a trance." Sora stated, finishing Izzy's comment.   
  
While the Digidestined watched from the sidelines, Guardianmon was loosing her temper. "Are you the Digimon Warlord?" She shouted, anger rising in her once gentle voice.   
  
Looking down from on top of his Digimon, the masked teen laughed. "Yeah. I am he. And what are you going to do about it?" He joked.  
  
Lowering her head, the woman laughed. "Well, I think it is about time you revel yourself to the rest of the Digidestined." Suddenly, Guardianmon rose into the air slowly. She floated lightly and gracefully above the battlefield until she was even with the teen. Raising one of her slender fingers, Guardianmon stated, "Holy Gateway!"   
  
A large gust of wind shot from the tip of her hand right at the Warlord. Loosing his balance, the boy fell from his Digimon and hit the ground hard. His helmet flew from his head and landed at the feet of Guardianmon. Shielding his face, the teen sat up. "What have you done?" He demanded, as he pulled his hands away from his face.   
  
As he looked at the other digidestined, his face was met by a gasp from Kari. "No, it can't be. It's you? Chris Sono?" She asked in shock.   
  
Standing from where he hit the ground, Chris dusted himself off. "Yea. I am the Digimon Warlord. But you shouldn't be the one who is shocked, little Kayima. I'm the one who is in shock." Chris stated, moving slowly backwards. "Who would of thought that Tai and his group of losers could be the all powerful Digidestined. Well, I must admit. I am impressed. But not by much." Suddenly, a black light appeared behide the teen. "Well, it appears that my ride has arrived. Until we meet again, Digilosers!" And with at, Chris vanished into the portal and his Digimon followed.   
  
Guardianmon turned from the closing portal to face the Digidestined, who came running towards her. "Guardianmon, that was amazing." Mimi stated.   
  
Lowering to her knees, Guardianmon placed her hands onto Tai and Ava's heads. "I must go." She stated, closing her eyes.   
  
"But Guardianmon, at least tell us this, how did Genni bring our crests back? I mean the dark masters destroyed them." Kari asked, smiling innocently.   
  
Looking away from the two teens, Guardianmon stood. "Genni was not the one who revived your crests of power." Her voice had become sincere once again and she smiled a soft grin. She turned so that she faced the Digidestined completely. "When I brought Tai and Ava to the digital world last night, I gave them a spell to create new crests from two of nature's most beautiful elements: the water and the moonlight. They are the ones who created them, not Genni."   
  
"So then, why didn't they tell us?" Matt asked, anger coming to his voice.   
Guardianmon turned and placed one of her soft, white hands onto Tai's cheek. "They are afraid."  
"Of what?" Joe questioned.  
  
"Of their power. They fear the great power within them and what might happen if it becomes too much." She stated. Placing her other hand onto Ava's face, the Digimon whispered, "Return me to my place of rest."   
  
Tai and Ava's eyes flew opened and her command. Their eyes looked like glass and seemed to have no feeling to them. Suddenly, they both spoke in unison, "Guardianmon, return to your sleeping power confined."   
  
The woman slowly began to vanish into the crests of the two teens. "Digidestined, when you are out of ideas on how to fight, summon me and I will fight." She whispered and with that disappeared into the Crest of Courage and the Crest of Life.   
  
Ava closed her eyes and then reopened them. Her head felt very light and she felt faint. "What the...?" She asked, placing her hand over her eyes. She started to fall backward but T.K. managed to catch her. "T.K.? Ava asked weakly, looking through her fingers.   
  
Smiling, T.K. nodded. "Yea, it's me." He stated.   
  
Tai closed his eyes as well, but unlike Ava, he fell backwards and into Kari's arms. "Tai! Tai, are you okay? Tai, speak to me!" She shouted, shaking her brother's limp body.   
  
"It's alright, Kari. He just very tired from using all that energy." Joe established, as he checked his friend's pulse.  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief, Kari smiled down at her brother. "Well, now we know that Chris is the Warlord and now we have a new Digimon. What else can happen?" She asked to the rest of the group.  
  
Matt looked down at his watch, "Well, for starters, we could be late getting home for dinner." He stated, making the others laugh.   
  
'Tai, you were great. Now you can sleep as much as you want, at least until the Digiworld needs us again.' Kari thought as she held her brother in her arms. 'What a great guy...for an older brother.'   
  
***********  
  
A gentle melody whispered through Tai's mind as he became surrounded in a warm light. The song sounded as if it was from Ireland, for there was a heavy sound of the violin and Tin Whistle being used. He stood in his normal clothes, with his crest and goggles added on. Tai's eyes wandered around the white void until he saw a sight of a black figure moving in the distance. "What is that?" The teen asked to no one.   
  
As Tai continued to watch, the figure was actually two outlines of two people. One of the people had long flowing hair that hung onto the ground. They held a staff in their hands that had the Crest of Life on top of it. The other person held two double-blade samurai swords in their hands. They wore a fearsome looking armor and a helmet hiding their features. 'The bearer of Courage...' One of the people whispered into the wind.   
  
"Who are you?" Tai called back, cupping his hands over his mouth to make his voice travel.   
  
The figures began to slow vanish into the light behide them, "We are the future...the death master is coming..." A female voice stated.  
  
Tai began to run towards the figures. "Wait! Who are you? Who is the death master? Wait!" He called, reaching one of his slender arms towards the figures. Suddenly, the two people vanished, leaving Tai alone.   
"Wait!!!" Tai shouted, falling to his knees.  
  
***********  
  
Shooting up in bed, Tai called out to the figures still. "Wait!" He called weakly as he looked around. He felt his clammy hands touch his forehead as he glanced around his new surroundings. Tai saw the familiar posters of the Italian Soccer Team and Aerosmith of his room hanging around him. "What?" He whispered, looking around the room. "I'm home?" Tai saw his shirt flung over his desk chair, which explained why his chest felt very cool.   
  
A light creek caught Tai's attention as the door opened. "You're awake. I'm glad." The rich sound of Ava's voice hit Tai's ears like a warm summer's day. The young teen stepped into the bearer of Courage's bedroom, carrying a small tray. She smiled as she shut the door behide her. "It is a good thing your parents aren't home or they would be spazing." She stated softly, walking towards Tai's bed.   
  
"Ava?" Tai questioned, still feeling as if he was still in a dream. 'A beautiful girl in my bedroom and my parents aren't home? This has to be a dream.'  
  
Ava smiled as she sat down next to the in shock boy. "The others are in the living room watching TV. They were really worried when we brought you home. I guess Guardianmon was right about the using too much energy thing, huh?" she asked, pouring some water into a glass.   
  
Tai turned and looked back out the window. Swinging his legs around, Tai stood from his bed and walked towards the balcony. Flinging the doors wide open, Tai stepped into the mild night air. The lights from the city glowed even brighter from his balcony than any others. He smiled and closed his eyes as a breeze rushed past his face. "It feels so good to be home." He proclaimed.   
  
Looking down at the bay, Tai noticed the faint glow of the stars shimmering in the dark water. "It's so beautiful here." Ava stated, looking out with Tai at the water.   
  
The young teen looked over the girl. He ran his eyes along her gentle features. Her red lips and graceful hazel eyes seemed to be so alluring to him. Ava's shoulder black hair blew past her face, making her look as if she were flying. Her pale skin seemed so soft and fragile, like glass. "You're beautiful." He whispered.  
  
Running her hand through her hair, Ava smiled at Tai. "Tai..." She whispered, moving closer to the leader of the Digidestined. "I don't know why but I feel so calm right now...as if I have wanted this to happen for the longest time."  
  
Leaning her head on Tai's shoulder, Ava closed her eyes. Smiling Tai placed an arm around the girl's shoulders, drawing her closely to him. Finally, Tai rapped both of his arms around the girl's tiny waist. "Me too, Ava. Me too." He murmured. 'The death master...the two strange figures...no. Don't let those thoughts ruin this moment...' He told himself.   
  
As the two teens stood there holding each other, the door to Tai's room closed quietly. "Tai...What a sly dog." Matt said, letting go of the doorknob.   
  



	5. Vacation in New York

Chapter Five  
~ Vacation In New York ~  
By: Lady Ava  
  
Four months had passed since the first appearance of the goddess-like Digimon, Guardianmon. Since that battle, the fighting had yet to decrease. The Digidestined fought with all their might to bring Chris to his senses. Although they yelled and shouted that what he was doing to the Digital World was indeed wrong and would upset the balance between their world and the digital one, the warlord teen refused to back off from his spree of terror.   
  
Though they fought in the Digital World a lot, the nine teenagers would always find a way to celebrate their wins. After they would defeat one of Chris' Digimon, Ava would accompany the rest of the digidestined back to Tokyo in order for them to throw a victory bash. They would always eat the best Japanese restaurants that money could buy, mostly because Mimi's parents always gave the celebrations with no expenses having to be paid by the adolescents.   
  
***************  
  
The Digidestined walked down one of the paths in the Digital World after defeating Chris. "Man, that was a tough one." Izzy stated, stretching his arms lazily over his head.   
  
Mimi flung her bright red locks over one of her shoulders. "Tell me about it. I thought Chris really had us there for a minute when Titaimon hit Guardianmon into the ground." She stated.   
  
"Well, luckily for us," Matt began, "Tai and Ava managed to gain control over the powers of Guardianmon right before she was about to be destroyed. You work great as a team." The blond-haired teen stated, looking towards his goggle head of a friend.  
  
"We really didn't do it together. Most of the power was Ava's. I guess I was getting' tired and she burst forth with this huge wave of energy, right Ava?" Tai declared, looking over next to him. But Tai's warm smile wasn't met with one from Ava. The teenage girl's eyes were fixated on the dirt path under her feet as she walked. Her expression looked as if she was deep in thought. "Hey Ava. What's wrong?" Tai questioned, placing his hand onto his partner's shoulder.  
  
Gazing up at the youth, Ava finally smiled back. "I have an idea."   
  
"Really? About what?" Kari asked, her arm linked with T.K.'s.  
  
Glancing up at the rest of the team, Ava cleared her throat. "Well, as you know. Every time we defeat Chris, we always go back to Japan to celebrate. I find this to be a bit unusual. So I have proposition for you."   
  
"And this would be..." Tai said, his voice trailing off.   
  
"How about you guys come to America and stay over for a week?" She proclaimed excitedly.  
  
The other digidestined looked at one another and then back at Ava. "You mean to...New York City? The largest city in the entire country of America?" Izzy questioned a pinch of excitement beginning to grow in his voice.   
  
Ava nodded with a grin. "Totally. You guys have break comin' up next week, right? Well, you guys can fly over on Sunday and stay until the next Sunday."  
  
"But what about a hotel? I mean, Sunday is only a week away." Matt stated, placing his hand on his chin.   
  
"Already taken care of. Trust me, you will have the finest hotel suite in the city." The American teen shouted happily.   
  
Tai placed his arm around Ava's shoulders. "Well guys, I guess we're going to New York!" He exclaimed.   
  
**************  
  
The flight seemed to drag on for hours that fine Sunday, but they finally reached Kennedy Airport in New York. As the eight teens came off out of the flight terminal, the sun hit their eyes harshly. The airport was almost deserted in the area of Japanese flights coming or going to the land of the rising sun.   
  
"What time is it?" Sora asked, rubbing her eyes, trying to chase the jet lag away.   
  
Looking down at his Digivice, T.K. groggily answered, "8 am. God, am I tired."   
  
"There they are." Ava's voice shouted through the empty waiting area of the gate. As the teens gazed up, they were met with Ava running towards them, a large smile on her face and her cheery eyes glowing. But running up behide her, there was a young man in a suit. Ava ran and stopped to an immediate halt in front of Joe. "I glad to see you guys made it, with only a minor case of jet lag." She said, looking up at the rest of the Digidestined.   
  
"So, this is New York, huh?" Tai stated, looking around.   
  
Ava laughed, "Please Tai. There is more to New York than just an Airport."   
  
Suddenly, the man in the suit approached the group of teens along with the three other teens dragging behide. "Ms. Ava, please don't ever run off like that again." He pleaded.   
  
"Sorry Miles. I didn't mean to run off. I was really excited, that's all." Ava smiled as she turned back to the gentleman.   
  
The digidestined looked at each other and then back at Ava. "Um Ava. Who's this guy?" Izzy asked, adjusting the strap of his laptop.   
  
The young gentleman stepped past Ava and bowed. "I am Miles. Please give me you luggage tickets and I shall retrieve your bags and take them to the car." He stated in a flat tone. Holding out their tickets, the man grabbed the teens' tickets and walked towards the luggage belt.   
  
As Miles began grabbing the bags off the belt, Ava smiled. "Sorry about Miles. He works for my dad and he insisted that he come along." The girl explained, noticing the shocked expressions of the Digidestined.   
  
"Ava, it that guy like, a butler?" Mimi questioned, running a brush through her bed head hair.   
  
Nodding, Ava looked out the large windows. "Yea. He's pretty cool...for a guys who spends his days waiting on another family." Her voice seemed to sound sadder than it usually did.   
  
Tai watched her expressions. He saw her eyes become gloomier and darker looking than they usually were. Her mouth was in an arch shaped frown and her posture seemed less than dancer like. Tai wanted to say something but something was holding him back. 'What's wrong, Ava? Why are you so sad?' Tai asked her mentally.   
  
"Earth to Tai! Come in Tai! We're leaving!" Kari shouted into her brother's ear.   
  
Tai shook his head and looked over at the others. They were heading towards the main doors of the airport. "Hey! Wait of me!" He cried, running towards the doors as well.  
  
**************  
  
As the nine digidestined and Miles stepped into the bright sunlight outside the Kennedy Airport, every one of the teens filched at the rays of the morning New York sun. When their eyesight adjusted to the surrounding area, they eight Japanese Digidestined were met with the sight of the beautiful New York City skyline. "Whoa...That's magnificent." Sora exclaimed, looking at every detail of the city.   
  
"Kinda puts the Tokyo Skyline to shame." Matt said, smiling at Ava.   
  
Miles stepped past the staring teens towards a huge stretch limousine. Opening the trunk, the man began to place the luggage into the car. Tai glanced over at Ava and whispered in her ear, "Ava, is that car...for us?"   
  
Smiling, Ava walked over to the luxury car and opened the door. "Come on guys. Do you want to just stand there and stare at the city or do you want to actually see the city?" She asked, climbing into the car.   
The eight teens looked at each other and then sprinted towards the stretch limousine.   
  
*************  
  
The limousine was even more impressive inside than out. The seats stretched all around the rim of the car and the windowsills were a huge mini-bar. The lighting in the car was neon lights that changed colors every other minute. There was a small television and DVD player attached to the ceiling, a videophone, and a laptop computer in the corner.   
  
As they drove down the highway towards the city, the adolescents talked and joked about their flight and the Digital World. Finally, they reached the Lincoln Tunnel. The limousine drove through the long tunnel until finally, they reached the city of New York. The eight Digidestined pressed up against the dark windows, looking at all the sights. As they drove though the city, they passed the Empire State Building, the Warner Bros. Store, the famous Virgin Mega Store, and the MTV and ABC news studios. They passed through Times Square and drove past the famous theaters of Broadway.   
  
Moving towards Central Park, Tai looked over at Ava. She reached over and picked up a small headset for the phone. "Who are you calling, Ava?" The Courage bearer questioned, drawing the attention of the other crest holders.   
  
Placing the headset on her ear, the teen grinned. "I'm calling my friends at your hotel." Adjusting the mouthpiece, Ava sat up straight and spoke clearly, "The Hotel Plaza, please."   
  
"Dialing 'Hotel Plaza.' Please hold." The phone answered back.   
  
After less than a minute, a young woman's voice was hear on the other end of the phone. "Hello and thank you for calling the Hotel Plaza. My name is Cassia and how my I help you?"   
  
Moving behide Ava, the other digidestined watched as a picture of a teenage girl appeared on the other end of the line. She had blond hair and bright green eyes. She wore a uniform of the staff of the hotel. "Cassia, it's me Ava."  
  
"Ava? Hey girl, What's up? Did you pick up your friends?" She asked excitedly, loosing her professional look.  
  
Giggling, Ava slid to the side so that the other teens in the car were revealed. "Sure did. Here they are." Ava stated.   
  
"Hey guys! Nice to meet ya. I'll be seeing you in a few minutes so I'll be meeting in person." The girl stated polity. "Hey Av, I'll send Jim out to meet you guys. See ya!" And with that the picture vanished from the screen.   
  
Removing the ear set, Ava lounged backwards onto the leather seat. She was smiling and her expression was happier than Tai had seen at the airport. "Ava, is that the same Cassia who E-mailed you on the day you got your digivice?" Tai asked in a hushed tone.   
  
Before Ava could answer the car jolted to a short stop, causing the teens to fly off their seats and onto the floor. Ava glanced out the window sighed. "Well guys, here is your home away from home for the next week. The Hotel Plaza of New York City."   
  
Miles opened the door for the teens so that they could exit the luxury car. As they climbed out of the car one by one, each one of the Digidestined looked up. The hotel was huge and had at least twenty-five floors to it. The teens continued to look up until Joe decided to play the voice of reason. "Guys, really. Do you really want to look like tourists?" He questioned in a sarcastic tone.   
  
As Tai climbed out of the car, he saw that Miles had already begun to unload the luggage from the trunk. "Digidestined party? Is that you, sir?" A man asked, holding up a clipboard.   
  
Tai and the others froze in their spots. They didn't know what to say. "Um...Yes?" Tai answered timidly.   
  
"Does your party consist of the teenagers Tai, Matt, Sora, Kari, Izzy, Joe, Mimi, and T.K.?" The man questioned again, his voice sounding very stuck up.   
  
Ava stepped in between Tai and the man. "Really Jim. Do you have to be so annoying?" She asked, sounding very important.   
  
"Ms. Ava. I'm so sorry." Jim stated, lowering his clipboard.   
  
Ava smiled, "Chill out and relax, Jim. My dad isn't gonna spaz just because you spoke rudely to my guests."   
  
"Of course not. I'll have the bellhop take your friends' bags to their suite." Jim stated as he turned and walked away.   
  
"Um Ava?" T.K. asked, causing the teenage girl he was addressing to turn. "Would you like to fill us in on why these people keep calling you, 'Ms. Ava'?"   
  
Blushing, the American teen looked down at her feet. "My parents own this hotel. So everyone thinks that they have to call me that. Personally, I hate it. It really annoys me that they continue to call me that even when I say don't. That's why you guys are also staying here for free." She explained.   
  
"Really? For free?" Mimi questioned, a hit of excitement in her voice.   
  
Ava grinned and nodded. "Dude, that's really nice of you." Izzy voiced for the rest of the group.   
  
***********  
  
After checking in at the front desk, the nine digidestined walked through the crowed hotel lobby. The whole place looked as if it just came out of a storybook. Velvet couches and columns lined the area around a large indoor fountain that was surrounded by flowers. The floors were either marble or had lush carpeting over the floor.   
  
Reaching the elevator, the gold plated doors opened to let the digidestined inside. When the doors shut behide them, Ava turned to the man standing at the numbers. "Penthouse please, Lance." She asked sweetly. The man listened and pressed the bottom number on the range. As the elevator ascended to the top floor, the Digidestined gazed in aw at the size of the whole hotel. "Isn't this place great?" Ava asked the other teens.   
  
"Totally. Who would have thought that such a great place was real." Mimi stated, her eyes still on the picture before her.   
  
When they reached the top floor, they walked down a corridor of large doors. Finally, they reached the two double doors at the end of the hallway. Withdrawing the key from his pocket, Tai looked at the number on the key and then the one on the door. "Here we are. Room A Suite001." He said happily. Scanning the electric key into the lock, Tai pushed the doors opened.   
  
The digidestined gasped in delight and shock. The room had a huge living room with a fireplace that was lit already. The furniture was very fancy and the hard wood floors were polished. There was a balcony that led into a garden on the roof. "This is...amazing..." Sora breathed, her eyes wide with aw.   
  
"There are two bedrooms down that hallway there and the kitchen and bathroom are down that hallway." Ava started as they all moved inside. "The path on the balcony leads upstairs to the garden on the roof. It is like a Japanese garden in the country. I designed it myself."   
  
As soon as Ava finished her explanation, the seven teens ran off to explore their room. Tai stood there with Ava as they watched them roam around the room. "This was really nice of you to do this for us. But," Tai started, looking over at the girl.   
  
"But what?" she asked.  
  
Tai looked her straight in the eye, "Why were you so sad at the airport?" He asked flatly.  
  
Looking out at the windows, she sighed. "I felt as if I was being stuck up. Having the limo and my family's butler come and pick you up made me feel as if I was rubbing it in your face that I had all this stuff."   
  
Tai glanced over at the girl next to him. "Please, why would you even think such a thing? You know I wouldn't care about things like that. I wouldn't care if you had us staying in a cardboard box." Looking over at her, Tai smiled. "All I want to do is have a good time here, with everyone, and away from Chris Sono." He explained in a matter-of-fact way.  
  
Ava looked up at the teen and smiled, "You're right. I was being stupid. I can't believe that I thought you would care about such things."   
  
Placing her head against the doorframe, Ava sighed. Tai grinned over at her. 'She's okay...but I have feeling for someone else. Sorry Ava.' He thought, remembering the flight.   
  
Flashback  
  
Tai and Sora sat next to each other because there were no more vacant seats. He really didn't mind, considering that he and Sora were such great friends. But during the middle of the flight, something happened that Tai had dreamed about for so long. He awoke from a light doze when he found that he couldn't sit up. Looking down into his lap, he saw Sora sleeping soundly. So, not wanting to arose her, Tai went back to sleep as well. But as he sat there, he couldn't help but run his figures through Sora's soft hair. 'Sora...you mean so much to me. You're my best friend...and everyday I hope and pray that you will become more than just my best friend.' He thought as he drifted back to sleep.  
  
End Flashback  
  
Tai smiled to himself because of the memory. Turning to Ava once again, he was on the verge of telling her something, when suddenly a voice stopped him. "Ava! What are you doing with that young man?" A deep male voice yelled angrily from behide the teens.   
  
Spinning around, Ava and Tai were met by three people: One man and two women. The man was dressed in a very expensive looking suit. His dirty blond hair was neatly combed and his mud brown eyes looked enraged. The older of the two women wore a female business suit with spiked heels. Her blond hair was tightly pulled back in a bun and her dark green eyes were behide thin glasses. The younger woman had on an extra short red Chinese dress with red shoes to match. She held a small red, silk, dragon purse and hair blond hair was held up with a pair of Chinese hair sticks. "Dad, mom, Veronica." Ava said in shock, mumbling Veronica's name under her breath.   
  
Tai looked at the three angry people in front of them and then back at Ava. 'This is Ava's family? They don't look anything alike.' He thought.   
  
Ignoring Tai's very presence, Ava's father stepped forward. "Ava Lawrence. What do you think you are doing with this young man?" He asked harshly, looking Tai up and down.   
  
Glancing at the teen next to him, a thought struck the leader of the Digidestined, 'Wait a second. Why did he say that Ava's last name was Lawrence? I thought her last name was Cononoshi...'  
  
Ava's eyes narrowed at her parents. "This is one of my friends I told you about. The ones I said would be coming to visit this week from Japan." She stated harshly.   
  
"And while you were driving around and picking these friends of yours up at the airport, you are late for your dance practice." Ava's mother shouted.   
  
Looking at Tai, Ava lowered her head. "I have to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She said softly, as if she were about to cry.   
  
Veronica looked at the scene before her. "Wait a minute. I want to know who this..." She started. Pausing, she looked Tai up and down like Ava's father did. Giggling, she continued, "guy is?"   
  
Tai looked at Veronica and then at Ava. His partner was breathing heavily, trying to hide her sobs under her breath. Tai knew that he didn't want to make her feel more uncomfortable than she was already.   
  
Stepping forward, Tai extended his hand to Ava's father. "I'm Tai Kayima. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." He stated as politely as possible. But Ava's father didn't meet his handshake.   
  
Withdrawing his hand, Tai watched Ava step out of the room. She turned to him but kept her head down. "I'll see you and the others tomorrow." She sobbed.   
  
She walked over to hug him, but was stopped by her mother grasping tightly onto her wrist. "Come along, Ava. You can see that 'boy' tomorrow. Now, you must go to your dance lesson now." Her mother's voice was very cold and harsh.   
  
Tai could only stand there as he watched Ava's mother drag her down the hallway away from Tai's room. Her sister and father linked arms as they happily strolled down the hallway, as if nothing had happened and that they couldn't hear Ava's cries. As Tai watched, he saw Ava lift her head to look at him. Her beautiful eyes were red and her face was tear-stained. She mouthed, "Bye" to the teen and Tai answered back the same way.   
  
'Ava's parents and sister are really cold to her. They acted as if she wasn't even crying. Hell, they acted as if she wasn't there at all, except when they were yelling at her. That just makes me sick.' Tai thought.   
  
Closing the doors, Tai pressed his head against the wood. Closing his eyes, Tai could almost feel her sorrow. Looking over at the glass balcony doors, he walked over to them and slid them opened. Walking over to the railing, he looked down at the street below. His eyes scanned the area of the place were the cars load and unload guests. Suddenly, he saw them. Ava's family walked through the front doors. Her father came first, then Veronica, followed by Ava's mother and last came Ava. She trailed behide the rest of the family as they walked to their waiting car. "Ava..." He whispered. That's when Tai felt it his crest react to something. Closing his eyes again, Tai felt the sadness come to him. 'This is how she is feeling?' He asked himself.   
  
"Hey there you are." Matt voice said from behide. Tai didn't turn around to meet his friend's cheery gaze. The voices of the other digidestined sunk into Tai's ears as he continued to stare down at his partner. "Tai, we're gonna check out what's for dinner. Care to join us?" Matt asked, sounded as if looking at dinner menus was the most exciting thing that he could ever do.  
  
Tai watched as Ava was pulled into her car, and then the driver closed the door and drove off. Sighing, Tai turned to walk past his friend. "I'll not feeling too hot. I'm gonna go and lie down for a few, okay?" the teen stated in a drone tone.   
  
Walking straight past his best friend, Tai walked towards where the bedrooms where located. He walked down to the end of the hallway to the last door. Opening it, Tai was met with a huge master bedroom. He saw his luggage at the foot of the largest bed. Walking over to his bed, Tai flopped down onto the soft sheets and just laid there. "Hey Tai, aren't you coming?" Izzy's voice stated from the other side of the room. Tai didn't answer him. "Tai? You awake?" Izzy asked.   
  
"Izzy, leave him alone. He probably just has jetlag." Joe stated quietly. "Let's let him sleep." Hearing the door close behide him, Tai closed his eyes and fell into an uneasy slumber.   
  
***********  
  
The two figures appeared before Tai once more. But this time, the light around them was different. It was darker. The music sounded softer than before and the two people were a lot more distant sounding. Tai felt tired and he was on his knees. Looking up at the two people, Tai began to plead. "Please tell me who you are. I must know..."  
  
"We have told you. We are the future. Beware the death master. His powers are growing stronger by the day. You must beware of the darkness." The figures said in unison.   
  
Slowly, the two people began to disappear once again. "Wait! Tell me your names!" He shouted. Climbing to his feet, Tai began to run to them but a wall of flames stopped him. He peered through the fire to see the figures vanish once more from sight. The fire was becoming hotter around Tai's body. Every inch of him felt as if he began to burn. "No! Help me! Matt, Sora, Ava, T.K., Kari, Izzy, Mimi, Joe! Help me, please!"  
  
********  
  
Shooting up in bed, Tai let out a blood-curdling shout. He felt his breath heave in and out heavily in his chest. Ice cold sweat rolled down his already clammy skin. Tai's hands were trembling and his eyes were wide when he grabbed his head. "Help me, please." He whispered, his voice quivering from drawing in such very gasps of air.   
  
A light turned on from the end table. Tai remained in his position but he heard the sound of movement around him. "Tai, what's wrong?" T.K.'s voice asked. A hand touched his back lightly and someone else was telling him to breathe.   
  
Tai heard the door suddenly slam opened. "We heard a yell. What's wrong?" Kari's voice asked.   
  
"It's your brother. He woke up screaming." Joe stated.   
  
The sound of slippers shuffled across the floor and someone hopped onto Tai's bed. The person clamored over to his side and sat next to him. "Tai, are you okay?" Kari asked softly, placing her hand onto Tai's shoulder.   
  
Looking up at last, Tai glanced over at his sister. Her smiling, calming face made Tai's breath decrease in speed. "Kari," He murmured.   
  
"I'm here. What's wrong?" She asked.   
  
Looking back at his hands, Tai had a rush of memories from earlier that day. Meeting Ava at the airport, the limo ride, meeting Ava's parents. "Her parents...the cruel remarks..." He stated quietly, grasping his sheets with his hands. "They treated her like dirt...the death mater..." Tai stated, he voice growing louder.   
  
Remembering the flames and the two people surrounded by the white light, Tai brought his voice back up to normal level. "He's coming...The death master is coming." He finally stated in his normal tone.   
  
The others looked at each other and then back at their friend. "Tai, who treated who like dirt and you is the death master?" Izzy questioned, sitting as well.   
  
As the teens listened, Tai told what had happened earlier that day. He told them about Ava's parents and sister shouting at her and how her mother dragged her away by the wrist, crying. "Oh my god. That is horrible." Mimi stated.   
  
"But who is the death master, Tai?" Matt asked, sitting on the edge of his friend's bed.   
  
Tai looked down at the gold sheets. "I don't know...the two figures always tell me that he's getting stronger and his darkness is becoming more powerful than ever before."   
  
"So we have another enemy besides Chris? Well that's just perfect." Joe stated flopping onto the floor.   
  
"The question is...who is the death master?" Izzy stated.  
  
"And who are those two mysterious figures that keep appearing and why are they only appearing to Tai?" Kari proclaimed as she continued to pat and rub her brother's back.   
  
Looking towards the window, Tai sighed. The sun was beginning to rise over the buildings of the greatest city in America. "Another day...another enemy. When will this insanity end?" He asked to no one.  
  
**** Well, it is slowly becoming a Taiora. But the next chapter is full-blown Taiora! I love how this is coming along. Anyways, Check back very soon, for a new chapter should be posted as I continue to turn this into a Taiora. Please R&R!****  



	6. Love and Courage

~ Chapter Six ~  
Love and Courage  
By: Lady Ava  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
"Good morning, sir." The maid stated happily as she came into the teen's room later that morning. Matt and T.K. were lounging on the couch watching the Rosie O'Donald. Sora, Mimi, and Kari sat at the mini bar, while Joe stood behide it, serving orange juice to them. Izzy sat at a large wooden desk, typing away at his laptop, searching for any information on their new enemy.   
  
As the young woman in her late twenties pulled her cart in after her, she looked at the digidestined and smiled. "There is a buffet breakfast being severed in the morning dinning room if you are interested. The food here is very good." She stated in a light British accent.   
  
Matt glanced up from the television. "So we hear. But we're waiting on someone." He stated very simply.   
  
The maid laughed lightly. "I see. For one of the girls in your party?"   
  
"Actually...it's for a guy." Joe corrected, sliding Mimi another glass of juice.  
  
*****************  
  
Tai stood in front of the large mirror in his bedroom. He was dressed in a pair of baggy jeans and his school's soccer shirt. His ever-famous goggles laid next to his hand, which sat there on the dresser in a harsh fist. The young teen could do nothing but stare at his reflection. His eyes were still a bit red from earlier that morning. His skin seemed to have lost all his color and his eyes looked as if they turned from brown to gray. His hair stayed messy like it always did, but it seemed to have lost its wild edge.   
  
"Why? Why does it always happen to me?" He thought aloud. Looking down at his goggles, Tai took them in his hand. "The leader...that's all I am. The leader of a group of people who don't even get noticed for saving the world. Is that what I'm here to do? Is that my reason for being here?" He questioned.   
  
The grip on his goggles became tighter as he stood there. Closing his eyes, visions of his dream came back to him. With his eyes flying opened, Tai threw his goggles at the door. Turning away, Tai walked over to the large windows that overlooked Central Park.   
  
"Tai? Is something wrong?" A soft voice stated from outside the door. Refusing to answer, Tai continued to stare out the window. Hearing the door open, the boy glanced back. He was surprised to see Sora standing there, leaning on the door timidly. "Can I come in?" She asked quietly.   
  
Looking back out the window, Tai simply nodded a yes. "I'm almost ready." He stated right away after the door was shut.   
  
Sora smiled as she saw Tai standing there. She always saw Tai as the strong silent type. Never afraid to back down from a challenge that faced him and never let anyone tell him what to do. But last night was the first time that she ever saw him venerable to his own feelings.   
  
Walking a bit forward, Sora kicked the goggles by her feet. Looking down at them, Sora reached down for them. Picking them up, the teen examined them carefully. The rim of the left eye was a bit bent and the strap was tangled. 'Tai usually takes really good care of his goggles. Why would they be just lying here on the floor?' Sora questioned to herself.   
  
Looking up at the teen by the windows, Sora felt her face grow a bit red. 'Tai Kayima. I've known him for so long. We grew up together. He's like my brother and his sister is like my little sister.' Holding the goggles to her chest, Sora glanced down at her feet. 'But lately, he seems different. Not in his stature, but in his looks. I feel light-headed whenever he's near or whenever he talks to me. He just seems too charming to me. Why?' She thought.  
  
"Tai? Why were your goggles on the floor?" Sora finally asked, after the long silence between the two of them.   
  
Shrugging, Tai continued to stare out onto the park below. "That's not an answer, Tai Kayima. Why were they on the floor?" The girl question again, becoming firmer than before.   
  
"I dropped them and didn't bother to pick them up again. That's all." The teenage boy answered, his eyes remaining on the windows. Tai's voice was cold sounding. He sounded as if he had lost all hope and was waiting to die in some prison cell.   
  
At last, he glanced over towards Sora. "Why? Are you going to yell at me and say that I shouldn't leave things lying around?" He stated, each one of his words shooting out of his mouth like icicles directed at Sora.   
  
Sora began to walk over towards her leader. "No. Why would I say any like that, Tai? You know me to be better than that." She stated a faint smile on her face.   
  
As Sora came face to face with Tai, she held out the hand with the goggles to him. She held her hand up between them; the eyewear laying folded in her palm. Looking at his goggles, Tai seemed to become more relaxed. He watched as suddenly the hand that held them began to shake lightly. Then he glanced up at Sora. Her smile greeted him and her eyes had begun to tear. Reaching up to her face, Tai wiped one of the tears away from her cheek. "Why are you crying?" He asked quietly.   
  
Suddenly, the goggles dropped from Sora hand. The girl flung her arms around Tai's neck and began to sob into his chest. Her cries seemed to make him sorry about how he acted. "Oh Tai." Sora wept. As Tai glanced down at her, Sora looked back up at him with reddened eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She stated through heavily breaths.   
  
"Sora, why are you sorry? I'm the one acting like a complete jerk." Tai stated hugging Sora tightly.   
  
Pushing away from him, Sora started towards the door. "I shouldn't be hugging you. After all, you and Ava are together, aren't you?" She asked.   
  
"Me...and Ava? Together? You have got to be kidding! We're partners only, not boyfriend and girlfriend. Why would you say that?" Tai explained.   
  
Turning quickly on her heels, Sora faced the teen. She was crying even harder than before and her face was beginning to turn flushed. "Well, Matt told us that he saw you hugging on your balcony that night when we brought you back from the Digital World. You know, the night you two created Guardianmon. And with all the flirting you have been doing with her, I just figured that you had been taken." Looking down at the floor, Sora lowered her voice. "I thought I lost my chance."   
  
Tai bent down and retrieved his goggles from the carpeted floor. Looking at them, he smiled. "I thought you were just ignoring me because I was being a jerk." He stated, his eyes still on his goggles.   
  
Sora rubbed her eyes, removing the last remaining tears. She smiled at her friend and leader. "Of course not. Why would you think something so stupid, Tai? After all, our leader is our leader and my best friend." She questioned as she slowly began to turn back to normal.   
  
The word 'leader' hit Tai like a trunk full of bricks. He could answer her because he didn't know what to say. Turning from Sora, Tai looked back at the windows. "A leader...that's what I'm thought of. Just a leader." He stated softly.   
  
Looking over his shoulder, Tai glanced at Sora. But he didn't see the girl he had become accustom to. He didn't see the tall, well-dressed, longhaired version of Sora. Tai saw the Sora he first traveled to the Digital World with. The twelve year old kid who always wore a hat to hid her hair and a hip pack holding her camp money. "What's wrong, Tai?" The younger version of Sora asked him, as if there was nothing wrong with this picture.   
  
'Ever since the first time we went to the Digital World, the others have looked at me as the leader. Why? Why did they think that? I had no leader-like features. I wasn't very smart back then and I didn't know when to quit while I was ahead. So, why was I their leader?' Tai questioned to himself.   
  
'Tai Kayima...Are you questioning yourself?" a deep voice stated inside of Tai's head.   
  
Tai looked around him. "Who's there?" He asked aloud.  
  
"Tai, I'm here." Sora stated.   
  
Suddenly, the voice began once again. "Tai...that girl in front of you...do you truly care for her?"   
  
"Of course I do!" Tai found himself shouting aloud.   
  
Sora stared at him questionably. "What are you talking about?" She asked.  
  
'Just asking...because as soon as I control this world and the Digital World...she and your other friends won't have any reason to even bother with you. That's all...but I just want to see how you react to certain limits inside that head of yours.' The voice shouted.   
  
******************  
  
As Tai stood there, Sora and the hotel room began to fade from sight. It slowly turned from a light-filled room into a pit of blackness and despair. Tai heard the door to the room open, but he couldn't hear any shouts, for his sense of hearing had vanished. Finally, the last sight he saw was Sora running towards him, her hand extended towards him. The teen felt the blackness surround first his head, then his shoulders, next his torso, and finally his legs and feet. Each piece of the darkness seemed to eat into Tai's very flesh and bone as he was held there by invisible restraints. 'What? What are you doing to me?' Tai asked in his mind.   
  
'Testing you...Courage.' The deep voice stated.   
  
Suddenly, the blackness dripped away into a raging fiery city. The flames came shooting out from the windows of apartment buildings and the agonizing screams of helpless people were heard in the background. 'Where...am I?' Tai demanded, his voice stumbling over words.   
  
All of a sudden, the flames in front of Tai parted as if they were the Red Sea in the bible. A tall figure, surrounded in darkness, stepped from the blaze. He wore a long black cloak around his shoulders that swayed in the rhythm of his steps. The loud clamor from his metal armor was as if a train was approaching him straight on. Though no words came from the man hidden beneath the hood of the cape, Tai knew instantly who he was. 'You...you're the death master, aren't you?' The bonded teen asked.   
  
Stopping in his tracks, the deep sound of laughter came from the dark creature. 'You are very quick, bearer of Courage.' He chuckled in his evil tone.   
  
'Why are you showing me this?' Tai questioned, struggling to break free from his black shackles.   
  
Lifting his hand to Tai's face, the creature ran a long fingernail along the teen's throat. Moving his hooded head next to the adolescent's ear, he whispered, 'To frighten you.'   
  
A harsh slap came from the man and turned Tai's cheek a glowing red. 'Remember my voice, Tai Kayima...for you will soon obey it.' With a suddenly movement of his cloak, the death master vanished.   
  
Tai just hung there in the flames. There was nothing more he could do but hang around. "The powers of darkness grow stronger with this flame that surrounds me." He whispered as his head still hung there, his cheek still stinging from the blow he received.   
  
"Tai? Are you all right? Come on, Tai. Snap out of it." The sound of a familiar voice stated.   
  
Tai looked up towards the sky. "That's...Joe..." He stated softly.   
  
****************  
  
A light touch to his cheek was what aroused Tai's senses at last. The blackness from around the corners of Tai's mind slowly began to subside back into the evil lair that it had crawled out of. Tai felt someone grasping his shoulders tightly and was shaking him easily. "Tai?" Joe's voice asked.   
  
As his vision returned to normal, Tai was met face to face with Joe and Sora. The girl looked very happy to see Tai's gaze, while the boy seemed very worried. Suddenly, Tai became aware of the fact that he was on the floor. "What the...?" He questioned, sitting up slowly.  
  
"We heard Sora's shout from the living room and came in to find her trying to wake you up." Mimi's high voice stated from behide. Looking over towards the doors, Tai saw the other digidestined standing there.   
  
Looking over at Sora, Tai saw her wide smile that was meant to help him find his answer. "You went all ridged around the edges and your crest began to glow. You sounded as if you were arguing with someone." She explained.   
  
Coming to his feet, Tai glanced down at the floor. He saw his goggles lying there in a heap on the ground. 'I must have dropped them when the death master began to take control of me. Damn it, this is bad.' He thought as he retrieved his eyewear from the floor.  
  
"I'm sorry I scared you guys." The teen mumbled as he put his goggles around his neck.   
  
Izzy walked up next to his friend and rested his hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, looking questionably at their leader.   
  
Looking at Izzy and then at the rest of the group, Tai nodded a yes. 'I'm not going to tell them about the vision. Not yet anyway. For now, I just need to figure out what he wants and why he has only come to me.' Tai thought as he walked out of the bedroom with the rest of his friends close behide.   
  
****************  
  
Everything seemed to return to normal as the eight teens entered the lobby. The smell of the breakfast buffet coming from the dinning room made each of their mouths water. "That smells so good!" Joe stated happily, sniffing the air as if he were man's best friend.   
  
"Well, why are we standing around here for, let's eat." Matt exclaimed to the rest of the digidestined.   
  
But before they could move towards the dinning room, Kari grabbed hold of her brother. "I don't see a table anywhere, Tai." She stated, looking and pointing at the vast sea of hungry tourists.   
  
Izzy smiled as he readjusted his laptop strap. "Look on the bright side, Kari," He began. "If all else fails, we can always eat on the ground like we used to do in the Digital World."   
  
T.K. flung a pair of rolling eyes at Izzy. "Oh yeah. I can just hear the manager of the hotel now. 'Look at those crazy teens with their crazy trends. Kids today!'" The freshman stated, acting very proper.   
  
The other teens threw their head back and began to laugh. Suddenly, a man dressed in a suit confronted them. "Excuse me." He coldly said, causing the digidestined to halt their giggling. Clearing his throat, the gentleman withdrew a list from his inside jacket pocket. "Are you the Digidestined party?" He questioned.  
  
Smiling broadly, Matt stepped forward. "Yea, that's us. Why do you ask?" The blond teen asked.  
  
"Ms. Ava awaits your arrival in the limousine so that she may give you a tour of the city. She has breakfast waiting for you in the car."   
  
Mimi threw her arms around Matt's neck, causing the teen to turn bright red. "Now that's awesome, right Matt?" She stated sweetly.   
  
"Y...yea." Matt stuttered as he lowered his head, trying to hide his quickly reddening face from sight.   
  
Taking hold of Sora's hand, Tai lead the others towards the main doors. Upon reaching outside, Ava's shout caused the teens to smile widely. "Morning guys! Come on, there is a lot for you to see and not enough time to do it all!" She called, stepping out from the familiar car from yesterday.   
  
*******************  
  
Clamoring into the car once again, the Digidestined were greeted with a large hot meal for them. As they ate, Ava gave them a tour of the area. She showed them everything from the Empire State Building to Statue of Liberty. They took a fairy out the Elise Island so that they could see America's historic past.   
  
Soon after, they decided to go window-shopping. Mimi, Kari, Sora and Ava happily stared the different storefronts with all the different types of clothes inside. Although the guys did not find this exciting one bit, they were happy the girls were happy.   
  
Finally, they came to a dress shop window. They had out their winter prom line of dresses. They were all beautiful shades of light blue, red, and silver. "I would just die to have one of those dresses." Kari stated hugging T.K.'s arm tighter.   
  
"Oh my god!" Ava shouted, grabbing the other's attention. She clasped her hand over her mouth and began to turn a shade of red. Looking over at her comrades, she began to bow. "I'm so sorry. I must have forgotten to tell to guys. You needed to bring a dressy outfit with you. Dinners in the hotel are formal only."  
  
The others sighed. "We didn't bring any dress clothes with us." Joe explained.   
  
Looking up at the window, Ava smiled. "Then we'll get you clothes now." She proclaimed, heading for the door of the store.   
  
"Ava, we don't have enough money for those clothes." Tai stated.  
  
Turning around so that she faced her friends, Ava smiled. "I'll take care of it. Now come on." She told them, and walked into the store, with the others close behide.   
  
****************  
  
As soon as they walked into the store, Tai and the guys were taken in one direction while Sora and the girls went upstairs. Tai, Matt, Joe, Izzy, and T.K. were lead into the men's fitting room by five tailors. The sewing men told the teens to stand on the platforms that were surrounded by mirrors. As the teens stood there, the tailors began to measure their height and such. Within twenty minutes, the five men of the digidestined were dressed in fine tailored tuxes. Giving the tailors tips for a job well done, the five guys walked out into the lobby to where the girls were waiting, holding large dress bags over their shoulders.   
  
"Are you ready to go?" Sora asked, as they were reunited as one large group again.   
  
Tai smiled. "Yea, let's go."   
  
As the teens exited the store, holding the boxes and bags that held their new attire for that evening, Tai let his thoughts wander. He was so happy that he got to spend time outside of school, soccer, and the Digital World. 'The digital world.' Tai thought as they walked along towards were the limo was. 'I feel as if a great disturbance in the pattern of the digital world is happening. And we will need more than Guardianmon to defeat it.' He concluded as he got into the car.   
  
****************  
  
That night came even quicker than they thought it would. As the guys prepared to go downstairs for dinner, they heard the sounds of the girls getting ready as well. They would be meeting the girls in the lobby. Ava had come over as well to get ready with the rest of the girls.   
  
Looking in the mirror, Matt stared himself up and down. Glancing back at the others, he could only smile. "You guys want to know something?"   
  
"What?" Izzy asked, readjusting his bow tie.   
  
Spinning around, Matt grinned a smile that made his girl fans back home go crazy. "I make this look DAMN good!"  
  
The others could only laugh at Matt's self-centeredness. "Let's go and wait for them in the lobby." Joe stated, placing his hands into pockets.   
  
******************  
  
Agreeing, they went out and down to the lobby of their hotel. The base floor was looked like a sea of top hats and glittering ballroom gowns. Some of the other gusts were huttled around in clumps, laughing as they waited for a table. The five teens decided to wait at the base of the main staircase for the girls. As the looked around for them, the teens suddenly heard the sound of high heels clicking on the marble staircase. "Matt?" Mimi's voice asked.   
  
Turning towards the staircase, Matt and the others were met with Mimi. Or whom they thought was Mimi. Her hair had been put up into a beautiful design of red curls on her head. She had a dark shade of pick lipstick with matching eye shadow. Her hands had elbow length white gloves covering them. She wore a long, pink dress that was made of silk. On the bottom of the dress, there was an intricate flower design. Her feet had pink sandals heels that had flowers of the heel part of the shoe.   
  
"You guys look so cute." She began, as she became eye level with them. Turning around so that her dress spun, she continued, "And what do you think?"   
  
Matt walked over to the girl he liked so much and bowed. "I think you look..." He started. As he looked back up at her he smiled. "Beautiful."  
  
Mimi blushed widely as Matt offered her his arm. "Where are the others?" Izzy questioned breaking Matt and Mimi's gaze at each other.   
  
Taking Matt's arm, Mimi looked back up that the staircase. "Well, I know that Kari is here." She stated, her smile becoming a bit larger.   
  
T.K. and Tai both looked up at the top of the staircase in aw. Kari's hair had been straightened and tiny red flowers had been woven into the strands of her hair. Her eyes had light red eye shadow and her lips had a deeper red on them. Kari wore a to the floor dress that was a beautiful shade of deep red. The straps had roses sewn onto them and she had tiny rose earrings in. Her red shoes had roses engraved into the heel. "Is that...Kari?" T.K. questioned as she came eye level with him.   
  
"Hi, T.K. You look so adorable." Kari stated, linking arms with him.   
  
Tai walked up to his sister. He smiled as she looked back at him. Leaning over to his sister, Tai kissed her forehead. "You look beautiful, Kari." He stated.   
  
"You don't look so bad yourself." She winked.   
  
Suddenly, the others heard Joe gasp. Looking at their friend, the others heard Joe say, "Ava?"   
  
Looking back at the staircase, the others, too, saw the girl before them. She had her hair up in a similar style to Mimi's, with the curls. Except, Ava's hair had sparkles glittering in the light of the lobby. Her eyes had a green color eye shadow and a light pink lipstick. She wore a flowing deep green dress that was also floor length. The dress had a beautiful diamond design on it and the straps were made of diamonds as well. Ava wore long, green gloves on her hands and her shoes were the same green, with smaller diamonds on the straps.   
  
Stepping onto the floor, Ava smiled. "What do you think? I shape up pretty well, don't I?" She asked, spinning around.   
  
Taking her hand, Joe lightly kissed her hand. "You look gorgeous." He stated, linking arms with her.   
  
Tai smiled to himself. 'Looks like Joe found someone for himself.' He thought.   
  
Glancing back at the top of the stairs, Tai's eyes suddenly widened in aw. He saw Sora standing there, looking even more beautiful than ever before. Her long brown locks were pulled back and up into a fancy design. She also had light blue hair sticks in the design. Sora's eyes had a light shade of blue eye shadow and her lips were a light pink. Her dress was to the floor as well, but not a large prom dress like the others had. She had dark blue Chinese dress on that had a beautiful flower design on it. The trim of the dress was gold and it had two slits on the side that came up a bit over the knee. Sora had matching color shoes, with an identical design on the heel of the shoes.   
  
As she came eye level with Tai, Sora smiled one of her natural smiles. Her smile made Tai feel so calm and relaxed. Offering his hand, Tai smiled back at her.   
  
Sora took hold of Tai's hand and then slid her arm into the familiar lock that the other's had. Looking at one another, they both felt as if they were the only ones there. "You look so beautiful tonight." Tai finally stated, feeling the other's eyes upon them.  
  
"You look very hansom, Tai." Sora told the teen she had her arm linked with.   
  
As the Digidestined stood in the lobby talking, one of the employees of the hotel approached them. "Are you the Digidestined party?" He asked.   
  
"Yes. That's us." Tai stated.   
  
Bowing slightly, the young man simply stated, "Your table in the private Dinning Room is ready. Please follow me."  
  
Not wanting to question the messenger, the digidestined followed him through the noise dinning room. While they walked, they overheard conversations of the other guests. One woman said that she couldn't wait to see the Broadway show 'Blast!'. Another couple talked about how they were going to go window shopping on 5th avenue. A couple that was most likely on their honeymoon in the city thought of going on a walk along the river later that night, so that they could see the lights of the city together.   
  
"That sounds nice." Tai whispered to Sora, who walked next to him.  
  
Sora looked up at him with a questioning look on her face. "What sounds nice, Tai?" She asked in the same hushed tone.   
  
Carefully, Tai picked up Sora's hand and placed it into his own. Squeezing it lightly, he murmured, "A nice walk with someone close to you by the water's edge at night."   
  
Feeling her face turn a bit red, Sora smiled lightly at the teen she was holding hands with. "That does sound nice." She whispered back.  
  
Catching up with the others, Tai and Sora entered a private wing to the dinning room. The lights were dim and the walkway was lit with small electric lanterns. A small fountain stood at the end of the walkway, with was also acting as a sorce of light. In front of the spring, there was a large round booth that was reserved.   
  
As the Digidestined team was reunited in the booth, plates of food arrived. Looking at his plate of food, T.K. licked his lips. "God, this smells great." He stated through a wide mouth.   
  
The other couldn't help but laugh as T.K. began to eat his food. Looking up from her own plate, Ava smiled at her friends. "So, did you guys have a nice sleep? I wanted to ask you guys this morning, but it slipped my mind." She asked, her voice sounding cheery.   
  
One by one, each of the teens looked up from their food and slowly glanced over at Tai. Remembering about their early morning wake up call from their leader, the teens waited for Tai to say something about it to her. Glancing across the table at Ava, Tai smiled. "It was great. But I did have a nightmare and woke up screaming."   
  
Taking a sip of her coffee, Ava gave Tai a concerned look. "What did you dream about?" She asked.   
  
Tai looked over at the fountain that was rushing behide their seats. Closing his eyes, the scenes from his vision came back to him. The two figures claiming to be the future and the death master. Shaking, Tai remembered the death master. "We have a new enemy." He stated simply.   
  
Ava almost dropped her cup at Tai's words. "You mean...besides Chris?" She asked.   
  
Placing his laptop onto the table, Izzy began to type. "I have tried to find information on this new and very clear present danger that is looming over us. But I have found very little." The red haired teen concluded.   
  
Kari looked over at the teen with questioning eyes. "Izzy, do you ever go ANYWHERE without your laptop or some form of electronic communication device?" She asked, but knew she wouldn't receive an answer.   
  
"Well, don't keep these facts to yourself." Matt stated while trying not to laugh at Kari's comment.   
  
Turning his laptop so that the screen was facing the rest of the group, Izzy cleared his throat. "Well," he began as he pressed the mouse button. The screen drew up a picture of every Digimon that it and the original digidestined had encountered in their past experiences in the Digital World. "As you can see, we have seen many Digimon over the past years that we have been able to travel to the Digital World. We have all known information on each one of them and we know every one of their attacks."   
  
Ava glanced at the screen as the list of Digimon continued to scroll down. "Damn, you guys have seen a lot." She stated.   
  
"But," Izzy continued, " I have yet to find any in depth information on Guardianmon. All we know is that she helped create the crests."  
  
The entire table grew silent as the teens sat there, pondering the possibilities of the new enemy. Finally, Matt spoke up. "Tai, I have a question."   
  
"Shoot." The goggle-headed leader stated coolly.   
  
Matt placed his empty coffee cup onto the table. Clearing his throat, Tai's best friend asked, "What did you see when you passed out this morning?" The blond-haired teen asked simply, as if it were a casual conversation.   
  
Dropping his fork onto his plate, Tai stared at Matt. He felt the rush of memories come back to him. The feeling of the death master's nail running along the vulnerable skin on Tai's neck crept back, causing the teen to touch his neck lightly. He shuttered at the words the creature spoke to him. Standing from the table, Tai turned to his friends. "Excuse me, I need some fresh air." He stated, removing his hand from Sora's.   
  
Turning on his heels, Tai walked as quickly as possible out of the dark dinning area. He darted his way through the crowed main dinning room and found himself finally in the lobby. As he headed towards the doors, he heard the faint cry of his name. "Tai! Wait a sec!" Sora's voice called.   
  
Halting in his steps, Tai turned to see Sora running towards him. As the girl ran up to him, Tai felt his face grow red. 'She followed me all the way out here? She really does care about me if she would do that.' He thought as Sora caught her breath.   
  
"Tai, are you okay?" She asked in the middle of the lobby.   
  
Lowering his head, Tai shook out a no. He knew that his actions must have not been very leader like. But he just needed to get out of there. The feeling of uneasiness came back to him as he stood there, listening to the clamor of the people passing by in the lobby. Looking into Sora's eyes, Tai felt calm. Suddenly, he felt something odd. As if something in the surrounding area was off. That's when he looked past Sora to be met with a pair of glowing red eyes in the shadows. 'The Death Master...' He thought.   
  
***See? I told you that I could make this a Taiora. Anyway, the next part should be coming up soon. Keep your eyes opened for it. Please read and review. (And please...no flames. Some of you can really be obnoxious when you don't bother to try to give this story a chance.)  



	7. The Death Master's Challange

~ Chapter Seven ~  
The Death Master's Challenge  
By: Lady Ava  
  
Tai felt something warm rush through his chest. A feeling that was very familiar to him but at the same time, very new came to him. Looking down, the faint orange glimmer of Tai's crest shown through his shirt. "My crest is glowing. But why?" He asked as he withdrew the necklace from within the safety of his shirt.   
  
An eerie silence came to Tai's ears as he stood there. The sounds of the area around him just seemed to turn off or as if someone had hit the pause button on the television remote. Looking up, a gasp of fear was all Tai could chock out. All the surrounding people were stopped in their position of the current time. Not one of the people breathed, blinked, or moved an inch as Tai examined the creepy new surroundings. He looked at Sora, who was stopped as she reached out to grab Tai's hand. "Everyone's frozen." He stated to no one.   
  
Suddenly, a deep, cold laughter echoed through the air. Tai became alert as he spun around, surveying the area. Looking off in the distance, Tai saw the other Digidestined running out after him and Sora. He saw the still crowed lobby filled with the guests of the hotel dressed in their best clothes waiting for dinner.   
  
As he continued to glance at the lobby, a figure came up behide him. "Tai Kayima...Bearer of Courage..." The familiar frightening voice stated.   
  
Turning back around, Tai came face to face with the clocked figure from his vision earlier that day. "What are you doing here?" Tai questioned, not feeling the same fear that he did that morning.   
  
Stepping to the side, the figure began to walk around the rest of the still people in the lobby. "I really wanted to see how you live your life, Courage." He ducked in between people until he came back to the angry teen. "And who's this?" He asked in a taunting voice.   
  
Leaning over to Sora, the Death Master ran one of his long figure nails along Sora's throat. Then, he reached up and touched her hair. "Such soft hair and skin. She would make a wonderful sacrifice to the gods of the underworld."   
  
"Harm one hair on Sora's head and I swear to God himself that I will murder you and drown you in your own blood." Tai stated through clenched teeth.   
  
Suddenly, a burst of light shot out from Tai's crest once again. As the light made the lobby glow a beautiful shade of orange, the laughter of the Death Master came once more. "Yes courage. Let your anger flow! Make me stronger with your hatred for me! Let me feed off of you." The creature shouted in sure delight.   
  
"What do you mean? How can you be feeding of my crest when it represents all the good in this world and the digital one?" The teen demanded as the light began to fade.  
  
"You really are stupid, boy." The death master began, rising into the air. The cold smell of death seemed to hang in the air as the monster rose from the floor. "Courage is so easily corrupted into evil ways. Your soul is that crest. So therefore, you are easily corrupted."   
  
Tai lowered his gaze. 'Maybe I am easily corrupted? I mean, I was the one created Skullgreymon that time in the Digital World.'   
  
"If you want to test your true Courage, then meet me on the roof of the hotel...that is if you aren't afraid to die." The Death Master stated, crossing his arms over his metal chest. Shooting a look of shock to the creature, the bearer of Courage nodded in agreement to the challenge. "I know you couldn't resist a fight anyway." He continued in a taunting tone.   
  
"What the hell do you mean, 'I can't resist a fight?'" Tai demanded, stepping forward a bit.   
  
Suddenly, the figure in black began to vanish. "Meet me on the roof in fifteen minutes. Only then, will you know the answer." And with that, vanished into the shadows.   
  
***************  
  
Tai continued to look at the shadows as the movement and sound returned to the people in the hotel's lobby. He became lost in his own thoughts as the enemy that he has only seen vanished. 'He's playing with me. That thing wants me to fight and become one of his...servants.' The teen thought.   
"Hey Tai, are you okay?" He heard Sora ask him.   
  
Looking at the girl again, Tai saw that she was no longer frozen. Her eyes were full of concern...for him. "Sora..." Tai whispered, taking her hand in his.   
  
Sora glanced down at her hand in his and then back into his deep brown eyes. 'His eyes...' She thought. 'They look sad and glassy. As if he is about cry. But why?' Reaching up to his face, Sora touched Tai's cheek lightly. Reacting to her touch, the teen placed his hand on top of hers and pressed it harder against his face. Sora suddenly became worried. "Tai, what's wrong?" She asked quietly.   
  
"Listen to me..." Tai started, his eyes now spilling out silent tears. "I have to go. There is something I need to do on my own. Please...no matter what the cause...don't follow me." He stated, smiling a weak grin.   
  
Tai removed her hand from his face and took a step back. "Tai, what do you mean?" She asked.  
  
With a growing smile, Tai stepped up to her again and kissed her lightly on her cheek. "Goodbye." He whispered softly into her ear.   
  
Sora felt a tear roll down her face. "Goodbye? Tai, why are you saying goodbye?" The girl asked as Tai pulled away.   
  
Turing away from her and towards the stairs, Tai could only say a few words to her to make sense of what was happening. "Because...I love you and I will miss you."   
  
With those as his final words to her, the teen sprinted up the stairs and away from Sora and towards his room.   
  
****************  
  
Sora stood there in shock. She didn't know what to say. Her hand was still stretched out to him, as if she expected him to come running back down the stairs and say that he was just kidding. That it was all a big joke. But he didn't.   
  
Withdrawing her hand, the auburn haired teen touched the place were Tai had kissed her. Her cheek seemed to tingle a bit as if his kiss had some special healing powers like in the fairy tales. "Sora!" She heard Ava call as she and the others approached her.   
  
Turning to meet them, Sora felt tears fall down her face. "Guys," She started as the others joined her in the center of the hotel lobby. "Tai's gone." She explained.   
  
"We saw him run up the stairs." Matt told her.   
  
Izzy stepped up so that he was right in front of Sora. "What's wrong? What happened?"   
  
Glancing back at the stairs, she felt herself blush. "He...told me that he...loved me..." She murmured.   
  
The other Digidestined looked at each other in shock. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. Kari was the first one to say anything after the long and uneasy silence. "Sora, that's great. It's about time my brother told you how he felt about you." She stated, smiling.   
  
"But why did he run off?" Joe questioned.   
  
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." T.K. stated as he and the others headed towards the stairs.   
  
*************  
  
Tai stood in his room uneasily. His suit and his other formal clothes had been thrown into a messy pile on his bed and he was now in his normal clothes, including his goggles. He stood in front of the mirror once more like earlier this morning. But this time, he felt different. He wasn't angry and bitter like before. Instead, Tai felt as if nothing could stop him and he knew that he was going to win this battle.   
  
Smiling widely, Tai picked up his digivice and headed out of his room and towards the balcony doors. Opening the doors, Tai rushed out onto the small patio. Looking about, he saw a spiral staircase that lead up to the roof. As he walked up the series of steps, each one creaked as if they were about to give out under his feet. While he ascended to the roof, a light fog began to roll in.   
  
'This isn't right.' He thought, continuing his climb.   
  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Tai reached the garden on the roof. But something was wrong with the surroundings, for they were not normal. Instead of a lush garden that he expected to see, Tai saw nothing but a giant fighting ring. The floor was made of sharp rocks and stones that seemed to have been needlelike on purpose. "Well, that ring looks reassuring." He said sarcastically to himself...or so he thought.   
  
"Do you like it? I sharpened the rocks myself." The Death Master's voice stated through the fog.   
  
Looking across the ring, Tai saw the figure standing as if he was not scared of Tai at all. Smiling a bit. "It's alright. I've seen better."   
  
Laughing at the comment, the creature stepped into the ring. "Well, shall we begin? Or are you waiting for your little friends to arrive?" He asked.   
  
"No. This is between you and me." Tai stated, as he too, stepped into the ring.   
  
"Well then...let the battle begin." The master declared.   
  
Suddenly, there was a loud sound of a gong, signaling the start of the fight. Tai lunged forward at the creature, his fist brought back. As he closed in, the Death Master vanished. Swinging his arm at nothing, Tai fell back in wonder. That's when the monster appeared before him and gave him a harsh blow across his face with his iron fist.   
  
Tai went flying across the ring and hit the fence that was surrounding the ring. But when Tai hit it, a rush of electricity rushed through his body, causing him to cry out in pain. His shout seemed to echo for miles, but he knew it was only a few feet.   
  
But before her could get back to his feet, the teen felt another blow cross him and sent him flying once again. As he was in the air, the Death Master grabbed Tai in mid flight. Gripping harshly onto his victim, the creature began to squeeze Tai's throat tightly. "So courage?" He asked as he heard Tai gasp for air, "How does this pain feel?"   
  
Tai tried to speak, but all that came out was a gasp. "Ha! You're tough, but are you tough enough to handle this?" The Death Master asked.   
  
Letting go of Tai, the teen fell onto the sharp rocks. Screaming, Tai felt his vigilance slipping and he began to drift in and out of consciousness. Suddenly, the Death Master's foot slammed down onto his ribs, probably breaking at least two of them. 'Damnit!' Tai thought as he lay there on the sharp stones. 'I knew I should have told the others...and now...I'm gonna...die' With that final thought, Tai fell into a state of unconsciousness.   
  
"This teen is weak. I thought he was suppost to have the most power of them all." The Death Master stated aloud as he saw that Tai was out cold. Grabbing the teen by the neck once again, the creature walked over to the edge of the building and hung the limp body over the fence. "I might as well get rid of him now." He stated. Looking once more at the bloody face of his weak foe, the creature loosened his grip and Tai fell from his hand.   
  
"Birdramon! Catch him!" Sora's voice echoed through the ring.   
  
Spinning around, the figure saw the eight other Digidestined standing there with each of their Digimon in their Champion form along side them. "Well, isn't this a nice surprise." The Death Master stated as Birdramon flew over his head and into a dive.   
  
"So, that's the Death Master?" Izzy questioned, as he watched the creature before them move back into the center of the ring.   
  
Matt and Garurumon stepped forward and turned back to the red head. "Yup. That must be him." The blond haired teen concluded a stern look upon his face.   
  
Suddenly, a huge gust of wind flowed across the ring as Birdramon reappeared. "Sora, I got him." Birdramon exclaimed.   
  
"Damn you!" The Death Master shouted, rising into the air.   
  
T.K. and Angemon ran forward as he rose into the air. "What? Leaving so soon?" The teen asked in a taunting tone.   
  
Laughing, the master grinned. "You are too weak for me to battle you now. So, until we meet again...I will be preparing your graves." He stated and in a gust of black smoke, vanished.   
  
"Well, so much for our battle." Ava stated, petting Tigermon's soft fur.   
  
Birdramon bent down so that Matt and Joe could grab their friend off of her back. "Be careful with him. He looks like he's really hurt." Agumon directed as he watched his friend be pulled off of the Champion's back.   
  
As soon as Tai was safely off the Digimon, Sora ran to his side as Matt and Joe held him. As the others gathered around, they saw the existent of his wounds. Tai has a huge black eye from were he had been hit the first time. His forehead was bleeding from the fence and his clothes had been charred. "Let's get him inside. I'll call the doctor." Ava told.   
  
As Matt and Joe bent down to pick him up, Tai shouted out in pain as his was touched on the side. "Oh boy. I believe he has a few broken ribs. Ava!" Joe called to the girls before she could head downstairs.   
  
"Yea?" She asked, turning around quickly.  
  
Standing, Joe took charge. "Don't call the hotel doctor. Call an ambulance. He needs serious medical attention."   
  
Nodding, Ava took off down the stairs like a shot. "Come on, Let's get him inside." Matt said, grabbing his friend under his arms. Then, carefully, the remaining Digidestined and their, now rookie forms Digimon, headed down towards their room to await the medics arrival.   



	8. 

Author's Note: Hiya everyone ****

Author's Note: Hiya everyone! Okay, I'm gonna cut right to the chase. Because of the fact that I have my finals coming up, I need to start studying. So therefore, until my exams are over, the next couple of chapters might take a while. So I just thought I tell ya. Anywho, please enjoy this chapter and don't forget to Read and Review! 

****

Disclaimer: I am not the creator of Digimon and I am not the owner of Digimon. BUT, I do own all original characters and Digimon in this story. (Examples: Ava, Tigermon, ect.) Please don't steal any of my characters. If you wish to use them in any of your own stories or post this story on your website, please ask for my permission first. Thank you.

**__**

~ Chapter Eight ~

The Awaking Powers Emerge 

By: Lady Ava

*******************************************************************************

Tai awoke with a start from his sleep. Although his mind was saying sit up, his body, sore muscles, and slightly opened scars were refusing to let him. After fighting with his body, Tai gave up and collapsed back into bed. 'How did I get in bed?' He wondered, realizing that the sharp earth had been replaced with a soft mattress.

That's when Tai heard a soft beeping coming from next to him. Glancing over, he saw a heart monitor and an IV unit to the side. The room was painted in a creamy white color, in which independent artist's works were hanging on the wall.

Suddenly, a gasp came from the other side of the room. Tai tried to glance over at who had made the sound. "Tai…you're awake at last." Sora's voice echoed. 

Looking up slowly, Tai came face to face with Sora's beautiful eyes. She seemed to have been crying very heavily. Her hair was messed and she looked very tired. "How do you feel?" She asked quietly, smiling down at him. 

Tai looked into Sora's eyes. "Where am I?" He asked, not answering Sora's question. 

"The hospital. You were hurt pretty badly." She murmured, taking his hand in hers. 

"Where are the others? The last thing I remember clearly is…seeing Birdramon coming in to catch me and then…darkness and nothing more." Tai stated, looking off to the side and towards the windows. The New York City skyline was glittering in the cool winter air. Each light seemed to shine its own individual light.

Sora bent down next to the teen and smiled her charming grin. "They're sleeping over against the wall. Kari was really worried about you. She was on the verge of a breakdown. And so was Agumon."

Tai shot up, but was quickly dragged down by pain. "You mean to say that Agumon's here? Now?" 

"I heard my name." The small voice of the Digimon stated, coming up next to Sora. 

Tai smiled weakly as he saw his friend sit on one of the chairs next to his bed. "Hey buddy. How's life?" The injured Digidestined stated, letting go of Sora's hand and took Agumon's.

"Tai, you okay?" You didn't look too good when Ava called the ambulance. You were really weak. The medics even gave you a heart garage." The small orange lizard explained. 

Cocking an eyebrow, Tai became confused. "A what?" He questioned.

"I think what Agumon means is a heart massage." Joe's voice corrected. 

Without warning, the rest of the teenage party came over to Tai. They were all in their normal clothes, but the girls still had their hair done and their make-up on. Kari was the first one to make a noise. She drew in a breath and hugged her brother. "Oh Tai." She whispered softly. "I thought I had lost you. When you flat-lined, I thought you were…" But before she could finish, her eyes overflowed with tears and she broke down crying into her brother's shoulder.

Matt smiled at his friend. "Tai, what happened? Why did you go off and do that without telling us?" He asked, running a hand through his blond hair. 

Looking back out at the skyline, Tai didn't answer. He felt so horrible. 'Why did I do that? Why? If was as if I wasn't…' That's when it hit him. "Guys, can I talk to Ava for a moment alone?" He asked, causing the other teens to look at him strangely. 

But only Sora smiled. "Sure Tai. We can go and get some coffee in the commons. Okay?" She asked turning to the other Digidestined. 

Agreeing, the seven other teens and the Digimon, who were very well costumed, left, leaving Ava and Tai alone. Taking an empty chair next to him, Ava sat down. "What's up Tai?" She questioned. 

"First off…I need your help to form Guardianmon. She can help me and besides…" He started in a rush as he slowly sat up. "We both need to talk to her."

Ava stared at the teen strangely. "Why Tai? What's wrong?" 

Tai reached over to the table next to his bed and grabbed his clothes. "Because…the Death Master wants our lives…that's the why. He is trying to murder us. That's the wrong." He told her while he got dressed. 

Finally, Tai stood from his bed. But when he came to his feet, his head swam with dizziness as the floor moved beneath him, causing him to stumble. "Whoa, there goes my world." Tai joked as his feet wobbled. 

Suddenly, Ava's arms wrapped around his waist in order to hold him up. "Tai, are you sure you want to call Guardianmon? I don't think you have the strength to do it." 

"Yeah…yeah I'm sure. We need to in order to find a weakness in the Death Master." Tai told her weakly.

Ava stared at Tai for a moment and then nodded. "Alright then. Shall we?" She asked, releasing him and holding up her hands.

"Not in here. Anyone can come in when we are trying to form Guardianmon. Let's go onto the roof." The leader instructed as he pulled the IV out with only a slight flinch. 

As he headed towards the door, Ava grabbed his arm. "Shouldn't we leave a message for the others? They will wonder where we went if they come back and find an empty room."

Tai nodded and looked for his D-Terminal. "Do you have your D-Terminal? Mine must be back at the hotel."

Withdrawing her small computer, Ava handed it to Tai. Thanking her, the leader began to type: 'Guys, Ava and I went to the roof. Meet us there when you get back. It's time for a meeting. From Tai' Setting the terminal onto his pillow, Tai and Ava left in a rush towards the roof.

************************

"Brr! It's freezing up here, Tai." Ava complained as she stepped out onto the roof. The cold night air bit into both of them as if they were tiny creatures nibbling on them. "This has to be the coldest night of the year."

Shivering under his coat, Tai agreed. "I thought Odaiba got cold in the winters. But Tokyo is like the Caribbean compared to this place." He joked. 

Walking to the center of the roof, Tai and Ava faced each other. "Okay…ya ready?" The girl asked, holding up her now ungloved hands. 

Removing his own gloves, Tai placed his hands against Ava's. "Crest of Courage…" He shouted.

"Crest of Life…" Ava called.

"Surrender your powers, our force ignite! Release!" They shouted in unison. 

The familiar glow from the crests surrounded the teens like always and then the figure of Guardianmon slowly appeared in the light. "Tai. Ava. You called me?" She asked, her voice echoing through the white void like it always did.

"Guardianmon, we want to speak to you. Can you remove the light shield and talk to us in the open?" Ava asked.

Guardianmon smiled and agreed. "Of course. You don't have to hold hands while we talk. I am in a more powerful form in the real world."

With a wave of her hand, the shield vanished and the two people on the roof had now become three. Ava opened her eyes and saw the beautiful Digimon standing next to her. "Guardianmon!" She exclaimed. "Tai, she came." No answer came from Tai in order to reply. "Tai, are you alright?" She asked, letting go of Tai's hands.

The other teen's eyes weren't opened yet and he was completely silent. Ava could see his breath in the cold air, so she knew that he was alive. Suddenly, Tai fell forward and into Ava's arms. "Tai!" She shouted, catching him as she slumped onto the ground with him in her tight grasp.

"What is the matter with him?" Guardianmon asked, kneeling down next to the two adolescences. 

Ava explained that Tai had been in a fight with a creature called the Death Master. "He was hurt pretty badly. Do you think you can heal him?" She asked as she cradled the unconscious Tai. 

Guardianmon smiled at her. "Of course. Lay him on the ground."

Doing as she was told, Ava placed the teen onto the cold cement of the building. Stepping back Ava let the Digimon get to work.

Placing her hands together, the creature began to chant: "Here my cry, oh guardians of the heavens. Please grant me your power to heal the young Courage warrior. Send your power to my heart and have it flow to the leader of the Digidestined." Suddenly, she changed languages to ancient Japanese. As she continued to chant the same words over and over again, a faint gold glow surrounded Tai's body. 

The scars on Tai's arms, legs, back, and face began to fade slowly. Until at last, they were gone completely. Slowly, the teen opened his eyes and sat up. "I'm better." He whispered, jumping to his feet.

Ava ran over to him and looked him up and down. "You don't have a scratch on you." She told him in aw.

Tai walked over to Guardianmon and bowed. "Thank you, Guardianmon." He said gratefully. 

Placing her hand onto his head, Guardianmon smiled a deep passionate grin. "I feel a great disturbance in you, Tai. And you as well, Ava. What is troubling your minds?" She asked, sitting on one of the benches that were surrounding the border of the roof. Her long flowing hair dripped on to the ground even more than before and her gown flowed along with it. 

"We have a problem." Tai began, sitting down next to the Digimon. Ava sat on the other side of her and listened as Tai told the story. "There is a new enemy threating us. He is known as the Death Master. He is evil in itself. It was his fault that we are here at the hospital."

"This is the hospital? Why are you here?" Guardianmon asked, sounding very concerned.

Ava smiled a small grin that quickly vanished. "He attacked Tai at the hotel. We got to him just in time. Birdramon saved him from falling to his death." She looked up at the cloudless sky. "We almost lost him forever."

"Hey Ava, what's wrong?" You look pale." Tai questioned, looking over at the girl. 

Shooting out of her own thoughts, Ava sat up with a start. She seemed to be very nervous about something. Guardianmon looked at the girl as well. "Ava, did you not tell the other Digidestined about---" 

"No." She stated, cutting the woman off. Looking at Tai, Ava couldn't remain silent anymore. Jumping to her feet, she spun around and faced the human and Digimon. "I am not ready to tell you what happened."

Coming to his feet as well, Tai smiled. "You don't have to tell me or any of the other Digidestined what happened. Whenever you're ready…you can tell us." He told her, placing a caring hand onto her shoulder.

Smiling, Ava nodded. "Thanks Tai." She whispered. 

"Courage," Guardianmon started, causing the two teens to look back at the Digimon. "When you were in battle, did the creature touch you head on or did he use energy attacks?"

Tai glanced down at his feet and tried to remember. "He didn't use any energy attacks. At least, I don't think so anyway. The whole fight is a blur." He explained, holding the sides of his head. 

Memories swirled inside Tai's mind as he tried to bring back the battle back to him. All he could bring up into his thoughts was Sora crying in the hospital room. 'Sora…I need to protect her. But I was so easily beaten by the Death Master, I don't think that I will be able to protect her.' He pondered. 

"Tai, you have the power to beat the Death Master. You just don't realize it." The guardian told. 

Her comment made Tai step back in surprise and shock. "How did you know what I was…" He started. 

Fixing a loose piece of hair, Guardianmon smiled. "Nevermind that now. It is time we get to work." She stated firmly, becoming more serious than ever.

"What do you mean 'get to work'?" Ava questioned.

With a flick of her wrist, a small leather pouch appeared over Guardianmon's palm. As the two teens watched in wonder, the Digimon withdrew a handful of white, glittering power. She ran the dust through her long, slender fingers as it poured from one hand to the other. Then, with one blow, the dust flew from her hand and onto the two Digidestined. 

"Hey!" Tai shouted, shielding his eyes. As he breathed in, some of the fine particles drifted into his mouth, causing him to gag. 

"It is alright. This dust will help in the releasing process." The Digimon explained. 

Once again, Tai breathed in deep. But this time, he didn't hack on the powder. Instead, the dust flowed into his system and into his heart, lungs, and brain. That's when the memories came rushing back to him. First, Tai saw himself saying good-bye to Sora before the battle and giving her a kiss. Then, he went to when he first saw Ava in the Digital World. Following that, Tai saw the soccer game finals and when he got hit on the back of his head. 'I remember all that so clearly…' He thought, smiling to himself. 

Suddenly, the light around the pictures began to darken. 'What? What's going on?' Tai questioned to himself as his eyes closed tighter. 

'Tai…You have negative thoughts and suppressed memories inside the depths of your mind.' Guardianmon's voice told.

'Negative thoughts? But what could there be?' The teen asked, trying to think. 

That's when it happened. The vision came clearer than ever before. A memory that had happened long before his first trip to the Digital World. And it was then, that he began to relive it.

****************************

A harsh smack came to Tai's young face. It stung, but not enough to make him cry aloud. Placing his small hand to the red, burning mark, he rubbed it gently. 

"How could you do that, Tai? You knew perfectly well that she was sick!" His mother shouted, anger etched on every word. 

Tai heard his sister crying in the background and his father trying to calm her down as they waited for the ambulance to arrive. "Can I talk to her?" The young boy asked quietly, sobbing after he finished. 

"No. Go to your room!" His father shouted. 

Not wanting to make his parents even angrier, Tai turned and walked towards his room. As he was about to shut the door, his mother came up from behide and stated harshly. "Taichi Kayima, you are a very bad boy. Because of you, your little sister could die."

The door slammed shut as Tai stepped completely into the room that he had shared with his sister. Ever since he could remember, Kari had been very ill. She would get sick for two weeks, then recover for two more weeks, and then get sick again. But Tai knew that she couldn't help it. She was born with a weak immune system, which made Kari very vulnerable to any kind of virus or even the common cold. 

"Kari…" Tai cried, falling to the wooden floor of his bedroom. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for getting you sick." Hitting his small hands on the ground, Tai screamed, "Kari!"

*************************

Tai's eyes flew opened to feel Ava shaking his shoulders. "Tai. Tai, just breath."

The teen looked around to see the surroundings of the roof. Guardianmon and Ava stood next to Tai, looking very concerned. Staring at the Digimon, the brown haired teen asked, "What was that? What did you do to us?"

"In order to release the ultimate power within both you and Ava, I had to cleanse your memories, hearts, and feelings. If I weren't to do that, then the power could overload your natural systems." The Digimon explained, placing a calming hand onto the young leader's shoulder. 

Ava smiled as Tai became a bit confused at what Guardianmon had told him. "Tai, I went through the same thing you did. But for some reason, yours seemed to last longer. Did you see awful memories?" She asked. 

Glancing down at the roof, Tai closed his eyes. The thoughts of his sister being sick that day came rushing back to him. "Yea. I saw memories." He whispered, pulling away from the girl and the Digimon. Walking over to the fencing that surrounded the rim of the roof, Tai leaned up against it. "Memories that I wish to forget…" He murmured softly.

"Do you want to tell me what you saw?" Ava questioned, coming up next to adolescent.

Tai looked away. "I want to. Believe me, I really do. But, the memories I have are very painful. I just can't talk about them." He explained, trying to maintain his composure. 

Guardianmon tapped the two teens on their shoulders. Turning around, the digidestined looked at the Digimon. "Are you ready?" She asked.

"For what?" Ava asked.

"For the rest of the process to be completed." The woman Digimon told.

Glancing over at Tai, Ava placed a hand on his shoulder as reassurance. "Are you sure you want that you want to do this?" She asked, a light and caring grin caressing her face. 

Returning the smile, Tai nodded. "I'm sure. If we can defeat the Death Master with these hidden powers of ours…then we have too." He told her, becoming more himself again. 

Walking back to the center of the roof, Tai and Ava stood facing the Digimon head on. "Ava, you will be the first to go." Guardianmon stated. 

Agreeing, the black-haired girl stepped forward. "This will hurt for a moment." The creature told the teen. Ava only nodded a silent agreement, knowing that if she were to open her mouth, she would only back away. "Alright them. Let's begin." 

Withdrawing the same pouch from her robes again, Guardianmon reached inside. But this time, she didn't withdraw the dust from before. Instead, she took out a small glass bottle that was glowing a strange green light. Pulling out the cork, some of the glow escaped into the sky. It seemed to have a life of its own. It darted around Ava and then over to Tai. The boy watched it as it flew around him in different spirals and then off into the sky.

That's when Guardianmon began to chant:

__

Sands and Winds of all time,

Help Ava cross the power line.

Release the powers of the crest,

And use the powers of the holy west.

Fly the powers of the night,

And bring Life's true force into the light.

Release.

With one massive burst of energy, the bottle exploded into a rocket of lighting. The green beam shot from Guardianmon's hand and hit Ava square in the chest. The girl choked out a breath but did not scream. Suddenly, in a bright flash, the lighting shot out of her back. But it wasn't only the green glow that came out. Along with the shimmering blaze, the shape of the Crest of Life shot from her body and hung in the air. 

When the glare died down, symbol of life became clearer in the darkness. It spun around gracefully as if it were a fallen star in the night. Tai could only stare in aw at the sight before him. He was at a loss of words. All he knew was that a piece of lighting had just passed through Ava's body. 

"Oh god. Ava!" He shouted, as he started to advance.

"Tai don't." Guardianmon commanded, causing the teen to stop. "Ava is fine. She is in a state of suspended animation."

Stepping back, Tai seemed to understand. He didn't know why, but he understood what was happening. But he continued to stay on guard, just in case.

Guardianmon moved so that the symbol floated directly in front of her. Opening another bottle, she poured the contents onto the hovering hologram. Then she began to speak once more:

__

Chant again, oh holy mage,

Release the enchantment from its darkened cage.

The beauty of the Faith become stronger,

Keep the power within no longer.

Ava's eyes opened wide as the Digimon chanted the four-line poem. Suddenly, the Crest of Life changed into a different form. It was a crescent moon with the symbol of life floating inside it. It began to glow a silvery color as the new shape was confirmed.

Turning back to Tai, Guardianmon smiled. "The Crest of Faith has been created once again." She told him.

"The Crest of Faith?" The teen questioned.

Raising a hand up behide the new crest, Guardianmon lightly brushed the character back into Ava's body. As the silver glow reentered her body, Ava fell to her knees. She was panting lightly and she was trembling.

Tai ran over to the fallen girl and went to his knees as well. Looking at her directly, he smiled. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yea. I have no idea what happened, but yea I'm fine." Ava stated in a joking tone.

Tai smiled at her comic attitude. He had never seen anyone so calm about being shot right through their body. "You have no idea what has just happened?" He questioned, touching her shoulder lightly. 

Looking down at her crest, Ava's eyes widened. "All I heard was Guardianmon chanting and then I was on the ground." She explained, playing with the new tag on her neck.

"It's your turn, Tai." Guardianmon announced, making the two teens face her again. 

Coming to his feet again, Tai faced the Digimon. He felt as if he should have been scared, but he wasn't. All he knew was that he was going to do this, no matter what.

Tai walked forward so that he was at the same distance as Ava was from the guardian. "Let's do it." He told her sternly.

"Very well, Tai. Let's begin." The creature stated.

Pulling out the cork of the same bottle as before, Guardianmon began to chant a similar spell:

__

Sands and Winds of all time, 

Help Tai cross the power line.

Release the powers of his crest, 

And put him to the ultimate test.

Fly the powers of the night,

And bring Courage's force into the light.

Release.

The identical green lighting flew from the bottle once again, but this time, the light didn't take a round about route. Instead, the light flew right at Tai and hit him directly in the chest. The teen let out a harsh gasp as the energy penetrated into his rib cage. Rushing right past his heart and lungs, the glow flew out his back. And that is when Tai knew no more.

***********************

"Tai…Tai." A soft voice sang in the teenager's ear. Slowly opening his eyes, Tai felt someone holding him trying to keep him warm.

Looking next to him slowly, Tai was met with a pair of brown eyes looking at him. "Sora?" He murmured. 

Smiling softly, the girl nodded. "Yea. It's me. Are you alright?" She questioned, hugging him a bit tighter. 

"I don't remember what happened." Tai explained weakly, touching a hand to his chest. He felt tired and sick, as if he was about to pass out. 

Closing his eyes, the teenager's knees gave out and he fell to the ground. Tai felt Sora go down with him to the ground. Someone called out his name, but he couldn't tell who. He was expecting to feel the cold roof hit his face, but he didn't. Instead, something warm pressed up against his cheek. Managing to crack his eyes opened, he saw two of the most important people holding him tightly. 

"Kari, us caught…us." Tai slurred, looking into his sister's eyes.

Smiling, the brown haired girl touched her brother's face. "Of course I did."

"We were all worried about you, Tai." Matt's voice stated as he and the others came into view.

Glancing down at the roof, Tai closed his eyes half way, so that everything was a bit blurry. He was tired and he didn't know if he could stay awake any longer. That's when he felt a warm hand touch his cheek lightly. In response to the touch, the teen pressed a bit onto the hand. Suddenly, a dim glow came from the hand. Tai felt as if his energy was returning to him. Every one of his muscles became stronger and he was completely alert. 

Sitting up, Tai looked around. He was in complete amazement about what had just happened. Glancing over at Sora, his eyes became even wider. As he looked at her hand, he saw a faint gold glow fading from her fingertips. Looking her in the eyes, Tai received a silent 'yes' from Sora. Smiling, Tai took Sora in a tight hug and held her. Whispering in her ear, the teen said, "Thank you, Sora." 

"Tai," Guardianmon called, causing the others and the leader of the group to look over at her. The Digimon slowly began to fade away. Reaching out to the group nine, she smiled. "The Crest of Eternity…is yours and yours alone. Use its power wisely, for both Eternity and Faith are easily turned to the side of darkness. Until we meet again, farewell." And with that, she vanished back into the crests. 

Reaching inside his shirt, Tai withdrew his crest. Looking down at it, he began to examine it. The symbol had been changed to a lighting bolt striking the sign of Courage. Its color had become a silvery orange and the tag was turned silver. "The Crest of Eternal Courage…" He said, coming to his feet.

"And the Crest of Holy Life." Ava said as well as she came face to face with Tai. 

As the others joined them, the two teens stared off into the sea of lights. "We must protect this world with all our might." Tai told as Sora hooked onto his arm. Smiling at her, Tai looked at her. 'I will protect her. No matter what the cost.' 


End file.
